Baseball: West Roxbury Beats Boston International 6-2 in State Tournament

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The only two City League teams remaining in State Tournaments faced each other Thursday afternoon at Bentley University in Waltham. West Roxbury upset #1 seeded Boston International 6-2 to advance to the Division 4 North Championship. That game will be played Sunday morning at 10:00 AM in Lowell, at Lelacheur Park, home of the Lowell Spinners.

The Raiders of West Roxbury grinded this game out. They worked counts, stole bases, turned double plays, and took advantage of the opportunities presented to them. Pitchers Alejandro Lopez and Christopher Moreta combined to keep B.I. limited to 6 hits. Lopez struck out 3 and didn't allow a runner past second base until the 6th inning. When Lopez ran out of gas, Moreta came in and finished the game, striking out a pair in the 7th.

Westie built their lead slowly but surely. In the 2nd inning Jan Pereyra reached on an error, was moved along by a Jean Done single, then knocked in by a single from junior Ruel Delarosa. In the bottom of the inning, a B.I. rally was stopped before it started when Done caught a liner in right-field and threw out Derlin Tejada at first for a double play.

The Raiders expanded their lead in the 4th. Done worked a leadoff walk, then stole second, and was knocked in by Cesar Garcia. Both Done and Garcia are freshman.

In the 5th Westie doubled their lead from 2-0 to 4-0 thanks to a 2-run double off the bat of Jan Pereyra. Then in the 6th catcher Brian Navarro hit an RBI single and eventually scored to put West Roxbury up 6-0. Navarro finished the day 3 for 4.

Boston International didn't get on the board until the 6th, when senior captain Nelfry Velez hit an RBI double. Derlin Tejada followed Velez and hit the ball hard, but right at Westie second baseman Steven Augusta, who caught the line drive then stepped on second to eliminate Velez and end B.I.'s chances for a big inning.

International added another run with 2 outs in the 7th. Angel Troncoso knocked in Frank Rosario with a triple, but it was too little too late.

Fortunately for Boston International, they have a talented young squad. They're only losing 2 seniors. Their roster is comprised mostly of sophomores and in the next few years B.I. could do some damage both in the City League and in State Tournaments.

West Roxbury advances to the D4 North Championship where they'll face Lowell Catholic. The game will be at a "neutral location," Lelacheur Park in Lowell, Sunday morning at 10.

Boys' Basketball: Xaverian Brothers 70, West Roxbury 55

West Roxbury ventured out into the suburbs to play Xaverian Brothers in Westwood Saturday afternoon. And although the Xaverian Hawks were only 4-12 coming into this game, they play in a very tough league. The Catholic Conference is home to #3 St. John's Prep and #6 BC High. So this was a tough opponent for the Raiders of West Roxbury.

The opening quarter was a defensive struggle, ending tied at 8-8. Neither team's shots were falling. In the 2nd quarter, Xaverian started hitting their shots. The Raiders never got much of a rhythm going, disrupted by fouls (all of Deven Robinson's 6 points came from the free-throw line) and the occasional turnover. Westie was still keeping things close, until Xaverian went on a run just before halftime, capped by a Paul Regan 3-pointer that made the score 37-28 at the break. The Hawks pulled away even further in the 3rd quarter.

Westie played their best basketball in the 4th. The shots were finally dropping. A full-court press was forcing turnovers and hampering Xaverian's offense. Taquan Skeen scored 11 points in the 4th. He and Timoy Jarrett led West Roxbury with 13 points each.

It just wasn't enough to overcome a young, but deep team from a tough league.