by Paul Moseley

West Seattle invited O'Dea over to Hiawatha Field today to kick off the 2012 Metro League championship tournament. West Seattle, who finished at the top of the Metro League Sound division was paired against the Fighting Irish who finished 4th in the Mountain Division.

Betraying their reputation as polite gentlemen, O'Dea proved to be rowdy houseguests.

After a scoreless first inning, O'Dea started the 2nd inning with a base hit single. A follow up grounder and error by WS put runners in scoring position at first and third. A hit by O'dea Pitcher Pierre LeDorze drove in a run and put runners on 2nd and 3rd. Another hit by O'dea's Ryland Kerr drove in two more runs. O'Dea was up 3-0 after two.

West Seattle kept their composure and shut down the O'Dea offense for the next 3 innings, but were unable to convert on the few opportunities they created with the bat.

In the 6th inning O'Dea opened up, earning a walk and a single. A fielders choice put runners on 2nd and 3rd. A double by LeDorze scored 2 runs. O'Dea kept the rally going, poking away and putting an additional 3 on the board for a 5 run inning. After six innings, O'Dea was up 8-0.

The 7th inning put the exclamation point on the game. LeDorze was at it again and hit a two run homer.

Final Score O'Dea 10 runs on 13 hits, West Seattle 0 runs on 5 hits. The pitchers were Pierre LeDorze with the win and Sam Hellenger with the loss.

West Seattle will have another chance to show their stuff in the Metro League tourney.
West Seattle will play the loser of the Nathan Hale/Eastside Catholic game. That game is scheduled for 4:00 on Thursday May 10th at Steve Cox Park.

The Metro Tournament is an 8-team, double-elimination tournament (bracket attached) with the top three finishers qualifying directly for the State Tournament.