Little League

Northern California 3, Nevada 2

Posted on August 12, 2011 by J.P. Hoornstra

Red Bluff Little League scored three runs in the first inning and made it hold up, advancing to Saturday’s championship game.

Nick Rodriguez (double) and Wesley Clawson (single) had back-to-back, two-out RBIs in the first inning for Red Bluff. Rodriguez scored what proved to be the game-winning run on a throwing error by pitcher Cade Adams.

Adams went the distance for Silverado Little League of Las Vegas, striking out nine and allowing just two earned runs in six innings.

Silverado (2-3), the third seed, got both its runs in the fifth inning. Omar Ortiz singled and came around to score on a wild pitch. Buddie Pindel reached on an error and scored on Mikey Ruiz’s double.

Shortstop Lane Pritchard took the mound and closed out the inning, then pitched a 1-2-3 sixth for the save.

Red Bluff (3-2), the No. 2 seed, plays the winner of tonight’s game between Southern California and Utah for the West Region championship.

Box score: Click here

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Southern California 11, Nevada 3

Posted on August 10, 2011 by TJ Berka

Huntington Beach Little League scored four runs in the third and five runs in the fifth inning, showing more than enough firepower to prevail against Las Vegas Silverado Little League and clinch the No. 1 seed out of West Region pool play.

Nick Pratto went 3-for-3 with a double off the top of the fence while Hagen Danner drove in four runs for Southern California (4-0), which will play No. 4-seeded Utah in the semifinals Friday at 8 p.m. Braydon Salzman also drove in two runs for So Cal while Anthony Martinez and Ryo Takada joined Pratto by scoring two runs each.

Nevada (2-2) will play Northern California in the semis on Friday at 2 p.m. It could have captured the No. 1 seed with a win but was unable to match So Cal’s run barrage, though it did get a two-run home run from first baseman Omar Ortiz in the fourth inning.

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Hawaii 10, Northern California 4

Posted on August 10, 2011 by TJ Berka

Wailuku Central Maui Little League ended its West Region tournament with a flair, exploding for five runs in the top of the sixth inning to defeat Red Bluff Little League.

Along with getting the win, Hawaii (1-3) made history, as it employed the first girl-girl battery in Western Regional history. Nawai Kaupe threw 5 2/3 innings of one-run, four-hit ball with six strikeouts to get the win while Lohealani Kamau caught Kaupe for four innings.

Kao Mindoro led the way for the Hawaii lineup, going 3-for-3 with an RBI double that paced a four-run fourth inning that put it up to stay. Nor Cal (2-2) had already clinched a playoff spot and used the game as a way to keep pitchers fresh.

Nor Cal, which will be the No. 3 seed in Friday’s semifinals and play at 2 p.m., scored three runs in the first inning without a hit. Nick Rodriguez had two hits for Nor Cal.

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Montana 9, Idaho 5

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Clay Fowler

Cole McKenzie’s three-run home run in the sixth inning gave
Big Sky Little League ample breathing room against a resilient Idaho squad as
Montana secured victory in a battle for the No. 2 seed in today’s Northwestern
Regional semifinals. Second seeded Montana will face third-seeded Idaho in today’s semifinal rematch.

McKenzie, who was 2 for 3 with four RBIs, broke open a
one-run game in the sixth after Idaho battled back from a three-run deficit one
inning earlier.

Idaho jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning thanks
to a bevy of wild pitches and a two-run single by Julian Washburn. Montana
answered with three consecutive RBI doubles in the third inning to tie the
game.

Montana broke the tie with a three-run fifth inning thanks
to an RBI single by Andy Maehl, who was 2 for 3 with a pair of RBIs and two
runs scored, and a run-scoring double by Brock McDonald that made the score 6-3. Idaho pulled within one in the fifth when a single by Luke
White, who was 2 for 3, got past the left fielder to score a pair of runs.

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Oregon 14, Wyoming 0 (4)

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Clay Fowler

In what amounted to an elimination game, Bend South Little
League left no doubt by finishing off a mercy-rule victory in its final pool
play game with a nine-run fourth inning. Oregon (2-2) secured a spot in Thursday’s Northwestern Regional semifinals while Wyoming’s
tournament came to an end with mercy-rule losses in its final two games.

Oregon’s Justin Parsons was 2 for 3 with four RBIs and a pair of runs
scored. Cameron Baker was 2 for 3 with four RBIs and Cameron Davis was 2 for 3 with two runs scored and three RBIs.

Kellon
Heath was 2 for 2 with a pair of runs scored in the fourth inning alone, beginning the frame with a double and finishing with a
two-run home run. A quartet of Oregon pitchers combined for a one-hitter with two walks and five strikeouts.

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Idaho 10, Alaska 0 (5)

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Clay Fowler

Idaho blew open a close game with a seven-run fourth inning
to ensure itself a spot in the Northwestern Regional semifinals and end winless
Alaska’s run in San Bernardino. Idaho and Montana, who each have one loss to
top-seeded Washington, will play for the No. 2 seed Wednesday.

Eleven batters came to the plate in the decisive fourth
Idaho entered with a two-run lead and left with a 9-0 advantage. Rhett Crane,
whose RBI single led to both third-inning runs for Idaho, had another RBI in a
fourth inning that included four hits and four walks.

Riley Way, who pitched 3 2/3 shutout innings and allowed
just one hit, ended the game in the fifth inning with his second RBI. Alex
Light was 2 for 3 and scored a pair of runs for Idaho and Jake Driskill was 2
for 3 with an RBI.

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Northern California 2, Utah 1

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Clay Fowler

Red Bluff Little League ensured itself a spot in the Western
Regional semifinals with a dramatic victory in the final inning over Utah,
which was assured a semifinal berth entering the game.

Northern California’s Lane Pritchard, who reached on a
lead-off bloop single in the sixth inning, advanced to second and third on wild
pitches before scoring the decisive run on a one-out ground ball to third base. Pritchard was
checked at third base but beat the throw home to win the game after the third baseman
elected to throw to first base.

Northern California Utah’s Erick Sanchez, who was 2 for 3,
tied the game in the fifth inning with an RBI single, one of just two hits off
Pritchard, who pitched the final three innings and struck out six before
scoring the game-winning run.

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Washington 13, Wyoming 1 (4)

Posted on August 9, 2011 by TJ Berka

North Bothell Little League wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the Northwest Region semifinals in style, scoring in all four innings of its victory over Laramie Little League. Washington (4-0) scored five runs in the second, three runs each in the first and fourth and two in the third to get the mercy-rule victory.

Derek Lohr led a 10-hit attack, going 3-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double and four RBIs. Lohr also scored three runs for Washington as did catcher Austin Baek. Josh Kollman and Miles Jackson each had two RBIs as well for Washington.

Wyoming (1-2) can still get into the semifinals if it defeats Oregon at 9:30 a.m. Its only run came in the bottom of the third inning, as Nathan Burnam knocked in Eli Bryant with a single.

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Southern California 10, Arizona 0 (4)

Posted on August 9, 2011 by TJ Berka

Trevor Windisch slammed two home runs and Braydon Salzman came one batter short of pitching a perfect game as Huntington Beach Ocean View Little League remained undefeated with a victory over Rio Rico Little League in a brisk 45-minute, four-inning affair.

Hagen Danner and Windisch got things started early for So Cal (3-0), slamming solo home runs to lead off the game. So Cal ended up with four runs in the first inning and six in the second, capped off by a two-run Windisch homer that scored Ryo Takada. Salzman retired the first 11 batters, striking out four, before giving up a single to Sean Fanning with two outs in the fourth inning.

So Cal completes pool play tomorrow, as it plays Nevada at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow. Arizona (1-3) is done with pool play and likely done with the tournament, as it would need two Northern California losses plus help to advance to the semifinals.

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Washington 9, Oregon 4

Posted on August 8, 2011 by J.P. Hoornstra

North Bothell Little League of Bothell, Wash. closed in on the No. 1 seed in the Northwest Region with a come-from-behind win against Bend South Little League of Bend, Ore.

Washington scored three runs in the fourth and six in the fifth to erase a 4-0 deficit. The rally negated a no-hitter by Oregon starter Noah Yunker, who was pulled after 3 1/3 innings to preserve his pitch count just shy of his 50th pitch.

Washington starter Derek Lohr had a no-hitter going when he was lifted for pitch-count reasons after 2 1/3 innings. But the bullpen tandem of Austin Baek and winning pitcher Miles Jackson was able to close the door on Oregon.

Oregon had nine hits to Washington’s three, but Washington took advantage of eight walks and four wild pitches.

Washington (3-0) can move to 4-0 and clinch the No. 1 seed by beating Wyoming today, while Oregon (1-2) must beat Wyoming Wednesday to have a chance of earning a semifinal bid with a 2-2 record.