Wilson dazzles to lead squad to Majors crown

Wilson allowed one hit and walked two over his 5 2/3 innings pitched and struck out a career-high 14 batters to help lead Papa Murphy’s to a 7-0 shutout win Saturday in TD Little League baseball play at Kramer Field.

“I just came out like it was another game. I didn’t put too much pressure on myself,” Wilson said. “I just wanted to go out and throw strikes and hit my spots. When I started doing that, I just got more confident. Then my teammates scored some runs early and I just calmed down and stayed within myself.”

Papa Murphy’s came out swinging in the bottom of the first inning, giving Wilson all the run support he would need.

Wilson led off with a ground-rule double to centerfield and William Booth drove him with a one-out RBI single to make it a 1-0 score.

After a walk to Nathan Hedges, Cesar Sanchez made it a 3-0 margin, as he rifled a two-run triple to right center field, plating Booth and Hedges.

Both teams went scoreless over the next two and a half innings, but Papa Murphy’s padded its lead with two runs apiece in the fourth and fifth innings.

Ahead 5-0 in the fifth, one run scored on a wild pitch, and Hedges was plunked with the bases loaded to give Papa Murphy’s a 7-0 advantage.

Wilson retired the first two batters he faced in the top of the sixth on a comebacker and a strikeout, but then walked Kasey Ingram.

Wilson exited the game with a runner on base, but Sanchez got the final out on a strikeout to preserve the city title and shutout.

“It’s like he has a golden arm or something. He always throws strikes and he can dominate any time he pitches,” Booth said. “He came out throwing well and I think it helped all of us relax a little. The better he did, the more focused we got when it came to hitting. We knew that all we had to do was score a couple of runs and he could take care of the pitching.”

Booth went 2 for 3 with a double, two runs and an RBI, Sanchez added a triple, a run and two RBIs, and Wilson, Dylan Titus and Tim Depate added a hit a run apiece to pace Papa Murphy’s six-hit attack.

On the season, Papa Murphy’s produced a league-leading 170 runs in 16 contests for a 13-3 overall record.

Coach Ben Donivan knew the offense needed to pull through against a tough Nelson Tires pitching staff.

“I believe that every batter we had in the order put a ball in play today and that’s all 11 guys on the roster,” said Papa Murphy’s head coach Ben Donivan. “We haven’t done that much this year. That took us all being aggressive early in the count as a team as our main hitting approach. They executed that plan, so that makes me proud of them as a coach. It was a good day to have everyone come together.”

Nelson Tires starter Riley Brock pitched four-plus innings and gave up seven runs, three earned. The right-hander struck out five, walked three and allowed six hits.

Wilson retired five in a row at one points, and shut down the last six batters he faced in the fourth-through-sixth innings, until a walk to Ingram with two outs in the sixth.

Wilson gave up a single, walked two and had a batter reach on an error, but only one runner, Braden Schwartz, made it as far as second base, as he singled to moved up on an error by the Papa Murphy’s left fielder.

Nelson Tires finishes with a 10-5 record, and was third in the Majors division with 97 runs scored. The pitching staff also allowed a Majors-best 63 runs.

“This game is not indicative of the season we had,” said Nelson Tires coach Ken Brock. “It doesn’t really show how much these kids progressed through the year. They have developed into baseball players and as competitors. More than anything, that’s what we want from these kids. When you are faced with a challenge, you have to go out and battle. These kids have dug deep, competed and worked hard to overcome adversity. That is the main thing we have with this group.”