Ukiah pounds foe in Babe Ruth regional opener, 17-1

Ukiah broke open a scoreless game with a six-run outburst in the fourth inning and went on to defeat South Reno, 17-1, Monday in an opening-round game of the Babe Ruth Southwest Regional at Anton Stadium in Ukiah.

Ukiah, the host for the double-elimination tournament, will play Santa Maria at 1 p.m. today. The tournament champ advances to the Babe Ruth League World Series.

After the fourth-inning uprising, Ukiah put 11 more runs on the scoreboard in the fifth.

The game was stopped after five innings because of the 10-run rule.

“It took awhile for it to happen but then it was like an explosion,” Ukiah coach Robert Kirby said.

Beau Barrington led off the top of the fourth with a single and stole second. Carter Koch sacrificed him to third and he scored on Trenton Burford’s double.

In the fifth, eight straight Ukiah players reached base.

South Reno, the home team as determined by a coin flip, picked up its run in the fourth.

Both starting pitchers, Ukiah’s Devin Kirby and South Reno’s Jeff Lawrence, threw hitless ball through three innings.

Preston Mello relieved Kirby at the start of the fourth and gave up the only hit South Reno had. He was the winning pitcher.

Ukiah banged out 10 hits with Koch leading the attack with two hits in three trips to the plate. He also scored two runs.

Babe Ruth is for ages 13 to 15 and eight teams advanced to the Southwest Regional.

Besides Ukiah, South Reno and Santa Maria, other entries are from Arizona, Guam, Hawaii, Oregon and Utah. The title game will be played Saturday. The World Series is Aug. 17-23 in Washington.