It was a beautiful day for baseball last Saturday, as the Westbrook Little League kicked off its 2009 baseball and softball season. Over 400 were in attendance to watch the kids take the field for the first time this year. Dr. Reza Namin, the new Westbrook superintendent of schools threw out the first pitch.

Opening Day highlights

Messer defeats Eagles, 7-2

Messer pitchers Andrew St. Clair and Patrick Weimert combined for a total of 15 strikeouts in the win. St. Clair also chipped in at the plate, belting a huge home run. John Tibbetts and Austin Huntley combined for two hits each.

Dairy Queen tops Kiwanis, 18-8

Amber Gedaro started on the mound for Dairy Queen with Alec Crimin relieving her after she reached the maximum pitch count, striking out three and giving up a homer and a triple.

Jack McCullough closed out the game with three strikeouts and a single.

Gedaro went 5 for 5 with three singles and two doubles. Crimin was credited with 4 RBIs and McCullough went 4 for 4.

Kiwanis’ Derek Breunig had a massive homerun with two men on base. Thomas LeBlanc hit a base clearing double, and 10-year-old David Redman went 4 for 4 at the plate.

Phoenix outlasts Sappi, 6-5

Phoenix got strong pitching performance from A.J. Johnsey and Zack Wescott in the win.

Stephen Shackley drove in the winning runs for Phoenix with a two out two-run double in top of the 5th.

Tickets defeats Lion, 21-8

Matt Berry and Logan McCarthy had a total of four hits each for Tickets. Jay Mareen added three hits in his debut, along with Curtis Knapton, Bailey Sawyer and James Phelps, who also had three hits each. Ryan Poitras hit a huge triple in the fifth inning.

For the Lions, Mike Gowen hit two mammoth home runs in his first two at bats of the 2009 season. The Lions’ Matt Kelley made an incredible double play, catching a line drive from the third base side and beating the man on third back to the base.