Oysters emerge with championship

Getting even with a Rotary team that it had lost to last week, the Oysters gained plenty Tuesday in Majors Division action at Laguna Beach Little League.

By virtue of a 5-2 win over Rotary at Riddle Field combined with a VFW loss Tuesday to American Legion, the Oysters claimed the Majors Division regular season championship.

The Oysters have won six of seven games since spring break.

Taylor Preston pitched five solid innings for the Oysters and struck out nine. Austin Hillemann closed the game and struck out two of the three batters he faced.

Rotary’s Rex Strombotne struck out 10 in a complete-game effort.

Ryan Takabayashi sent a lead-off double into deep centerfield to open the game and would score on a bunt single by Kyle Jaffe as Rotary took its only lead, 1-0. Shane Takabayashi also singled in the inning, but Rotary was unable to score again.

With two out and bases loaded in the bottom of the first, Weston Barnes doubled to the fence in left centerfield to clear the bases and push the Oysters into a 3-1 lead.

Preston and Garrett Burk drew walks, and Larry Stewart singled to load the bases.

In the third inning, Rotary scored again when Strombotne drew a walk and went on to steal second, third and home to narrow the score to 3-2. But in the bottom half of the inning, doubles by Hillemann and Stewart led to a 4-2 lead, and the Oysters added an insurance run in the fifth when Chris Barwick doubled and scored on a single by Hillemann.

Defensively, Burk made critical plays at second base to end any Rotary comeback.