Westside Rolls Past Birmingham, 15-2, to Advance to USPBL Championship Game
UTICA, Mich. – The Westside Woolly Mammoths (24-20, 1-0) used a massive fourth inning and never looked back, defeating the Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers (24-20, 1-1), 15-2, in Playoff Game #2 on Saturday night at UWM Field. The victory sends Westside to the USPBL Championship Game.
After three scoreless innings, Birmingham struck first in the top of the fourth with back-to-back solo home runs from David Coppedge and Tommy Barth, giving the Beavers a 2-0 advantage. Those would be Birmingham’s only runs of the night, as Westside starter Conor Gausselin settled in and delivered seven strong innings, allowing just three hits and two runs while striking out seven to earn the win.
Westside answered in a big way in the bottom half of the fourth, exploding for eight runs to turn the two-run deficit into an 8-2 lead. Jordan Viars helped ignite the offense with a solo home run, and the Mammoths continued to capitalize on their opportunities throughout the inning.
The Mammoths weren’t finished. Westside added five more runs in the sixth and two in the seventh to put the game out of reach. Eliomar Otero delivered the biggest swing of the night, launching a grand slam in the sixth inning and finishing with two hits, two runs scored and a game-high five RBI. Viars reached base five times, going 2-for-3 with three walks, two runs scored and two RBI, while Dante Morton drove in three.
Westside’s pitching staff shut the door from there. Daniel Barcena and Kerry Collins combined for two scoreless innings in relief, as the Mammoths held Birmingham to four hits overall and struck out nine. The Westside offense finished with seven hits while drawing an impressive 16 walks in the victory.