Malloy pitched a complete-game shutout with 10 strikeouts to help West Side Little League beat Negaunee (Mich.) 8-0 in the Great Lakes Region tournament at the Little League Central Region Complex in Whitestown, Indiana.
“It felt unreal,” Malloy said. “On ESPN, big spot to go to the semis to be on real ESPN. You just know that you have to dial in and lock in. I did just that. I did my job, and the team got the win.”
West Side plays Clarendon Hills (Illinois) on Monday at 7 p.m. in Whitestown, Indiana. That game will be televised on ESPN.
West Side is searching for its sixth trip to the Little League World Series. The storied program reached Little League’s pinnacle event in 1991, 1993, 2007, 2010 and 2021.
The Little League World Series is Aug. 13-24 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
“We’re playing West Side baseball,” Malloy said. “We’re carrying on this legacy. We want to do what all the other five teams did. We want to go to Williamsport.”
Anthony Saurber and Malloy walked to start things off, and Preston Baker’s RBI single brought Saurber home to give West Side a 1-0 lead.
Oakley Turner’s chopper down the third base line allowed Teegan Lay to come home from third to make it 2-0 in the top of the second.
West Side strung together a three-run third inning highlighted by TJ Madden’s RBI triple that scored Malloy.
Malloy then battled out of a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the bottom half of the third by retiring three consecutive Michigan batters.
“I thought I was going to get pulled at the 50 (pitch) mark to save me,” Malloy said. “But my coach, he trusted me, and he knew what I could do. And I just did it.”
A Saurber fielder’s choice at second scored Boone Treadway to make it a 6-0 West Side advantage in the top of the fourth.
West Side grabbed two more runs in the top of the sixth to secure it, but not without a scare.
One of the runs was scored by Bobby Frazier, who was hit by a pitch in the neck. Frazier was down for approximately five minutes before slowly walking to first base. He received a big cheer from the Hamilton crowd before hustling down the right field line — which signified that he was OK.
“Tough situation,” Coomer said. “It was more of his neck area and not his head.”
Frazier even warmed up to come in for Malloy if Malloy ran out of pitches, Coomer said. But Malloy struck out the final three Michigan batters to close it out.
“He’s a gamer,” Coomer said of Malloy. “You look at him — four-foot-nothing — and he just goes out there and battles.
“Like I said, I still feel he’s the best shortstop in this tournament. Pitching-wise, look at him, he held his own at 4-foot-11. He just hangs with the big dogs.”
Baker led West Side at the plate by going 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a run. Jonathan Lineback went 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Malloy, Madden, Frazier and Treadway added hits.
“We were patient at the plate — like we were the other day,” Coomer said. “This time we added some hits. Naturally, we always want more runs. There were some situations where we didn’t score when we wanted to, and we will keep on working on that.
“But for the most part, we have a great eye for the ball. Our kids have a great eye. We play by what the umpire is going to give us. If he’s not calling the corners, we know not to swing at the corner. Our kids are very trained at that, and I’m proud of them.”
Great Lakes Region Schedule
Aug. 2 — West Side 7, Kentucky 0
Aug. 2 — Illinois 4, Indiana 3
Aug. 3 — West Side 8, Michigan 0
Aug. 3 — Kentucky vs. Indiana
Aug. 4 — Elimination bracket game, 1 p.m. on ESPN+
Aug. 4 — West Side vs. Illinois, 7 p.m. on ESPN
Aug. 5 — Semifinals, 1 p.m. on ESPN
Aug. 6 — Great Lakes championship game, 7 p.m. on ESPN
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