Glenview Blaze Sinks Waterdogs to Win Battle of the Sandlot Title

Written by Dennins Mahoney

Justin Machado rapped a pair of run-scoring singles and winning pitcher Michael Oh twice pitched out of bases-loaded jams Sunday, leading the Glenview Blaze Red 14-and-under baseball team to a 3-0 win over the Water Dogs in the championship game of the Battle of the Sandlot tournament at Evanston.

Machado's RBI single with two outs in the first inning staked Glenview to a 1-0 lead. He added another clutch single with two outs in the fourth, then scored on an infield hit by Jimmy Martinelli to provide all the offense the Blaze needed.

Oh (5 hits, 4 strikeouts, 4 walks) pitched six shutout innings before reliever Nathan Cooney retired all three batters he faced in the seventh. Oh ran into trouble in the second, but got Andrew Potter to bounce into an inning-ending forceout at second base. The Water Dogs filled the bases again in the sixth on two walks and Jackson Gray's infield hit, but Liam McKeough grounded to short to end that threat.

Neither team had difficulty reaching the title game, as Glenview romped to a 10-2 triumph over Evanston Orange and the Water Dogs eliminated the Lake County Lightning 12-2 in the tourney semifinals.