Just how crucial is that first game in a double-elimination
tournament?
The San Benito 15-year-old All-Stars were eliminated from the
Central California State Tournament on Sunday, and manager Joe
Ocampo feels things may have been different if it weren’t for the
team’s first-round loss, a 5-4 defeat against Santa Maria.
HOLLISTER
Just how crucial is that first game in a double-elimination tournament?
The San Benito 15-year-old All-Stars were eliminated from the Central California State Tournament on Sunday, and manager Joe Ocampo feels things may have been different if it weren’t for the team’s first-round loss, a 5-4 defeat against Santa Maria.
“I think we were one of the best teams there,” Ocampo said on Monday night. “But we got into a lot of games in the loser’s bracket.”
Such was the case this past weekend at the Central California State Tournament, where all three Babe Ruth All-Star teams lost in the first round.
The San Benito 13-year-old All-Stars lost 4-2 to Madera to open its state tournament in Fowler, then moved to the elimination bracket where it lost to Dinuba, 9-6.
The 14-year-olds, meanwhile, lost 15-3 to Santa Maria to begin the state tournament in Madera, but managed to fight back through the elimination bracket with wins over Wasco (17-2), Madera (8-3) and Tulare (2-0).
Playing Cotton Belt on Monday night in the semifinal round of the elimination bracket, however, the San Benito 14-year-old All-Stars lost 17-12, and were eliminated from state contention as a result.
Meanwhile, following its narrow one-run loss to Santa Maria last Friday, the San Benito 15-year-olds rebounded with victories over Madera (11-1) and Corcoran (10-2).
“The one good game we had was against Corcoran,” Ocampo said. San Benito held leads of 5-0, and later 5-2, when “all of a sudden, we blew it open,” the manager added.
“I was hoping it’d carry over.”
Unfortunately, San Benito’s run through the elimination bracket finally ended on Sunday night when the defending state champs lost to Hanford by a 2-1 margin.
“We didn’t play error-free baseball (against Hanford) and we did not hit as well as we should have been hitting,” said Ocampo, later adding that both of Hanford’s runs were unearned.
“But the boys played all-out, and that’s all I ask,” Ocampo said. “It was a good time.”
Note:
San Benito Babe Ruth 15-year-old All-Star Adrian Medina was named to the all-tournament team at the Central California State Tournament.
