Westport American Advances to District Two Final

A day after lifting his Westport American team to a dramatic 7-6 win courtesy of his walk-off blast, Ian Burns got back to work in a major way once more in Friday's contest against Monroe.

Burns pitched with authority, mixing pitches all afternoon, and his performance at the plate was nothing short of flawless.

The versatile standout went 4-for-4 and teammate Garrett Stonehouse blasted two home runs to help lead Westport to a wild 11-9 win over Monroe in the losers' bracket final in the District II Little League tournament.

Westport advanced to Saturday's championship game (1 p.m.)  against Fairfield American at Bridgeport's Blackham School.

With an 11-3 lead heading into the sixth inning, Westport (6-2) seemed well on its way to the final. However, Monroe had another plan in mind.

A roller coaster ride ensued in the final frame, as eight Monroe runners led  to six runs before defense took center stage for the victors. With two outs and the bases loaded, Monroe seemed poised for a dramatic victory.

However, Westport shortstop Stonehouse corralled a rocket up the middle and swiftly stepped on second base to signal a third out that seemingly took forever and a day to arrive.

"They (Monroe) were really working hard to come back against us, and if we didn't come up with a big defensive play, they could have tied things up," Stonehouse said.  "I'm just glad I was able to make the play to help us hold on for the win. It's definitely a great feeling."

Burke helped propel Westport to an early 4-0 lead with a towering two-run shot, and a Westport slugging duo stole the spotlight in the fourth inning.

Stonehouse jacked a three-run bomb and one pitch later,  Burns joined in the offensive explosion with a solo line-drive shot.

 Monroe standouts JJ Williams (three hits), Jay Bulhmann (three hits), and Pat Ryan (two-run homer) kept things interesting until the final defensive gem provided by Stonehouse.

"Burns really pitched his heart out today, and when things got really close at the end, our guys didn't lose hope that they could get the job done," Westport coach Tom Whelan said.

"We had some power in a few key at-bats, we played some small ball, and our defense was sharp out there. When we needed it most, our defense really stepped up."