Baseball: Baylands Athletic Center next stop
From Arroyo Grande to Guam? San Benito’s competition just went
global.
The San Benito Babe Ruth 14-year-old All Stars shut out Arroyo
Grande 7-0 last Thursday in the Central California State
Championship title game in Orcutt to advance to the Pacific
Southwest Regional 14-year-old Tournament in Palo Alto.
Baseball: Baylands Athletic Center next stop
From Arroyo Grande to Guam? San Benito’s competition just went global.
The San Benito Babe Ruth 14-year-old All Stars shut out Arroyo Grande 7-0 last Thursday in the Central California State Championship title game in Orcutt to advance to the Pacific Southwest Regional 14-year-old Tournament in Palo Alto.
The regional tournament will begin tonight, Friday, at the Baylands Athletic Center in Palo Alto, where the local 14-year-olds will play Mangilao, Guam at 7:30 p.m.
Other scheduled teams include Antioch (Northern California), Torrance (Southern California), Hamilton (Arizona), Carbon (Utah), Reno (Nevada) and the host city, Palo Alto.
Manager Joe Ocampo admitted to being taken aback after reading who his next opponent was.
“Guam? Is that right?” Ocampo said. “It is a little bit different.
“It’s gonna be a little bit different atmosphere, a little tougher, but I think we’re up to the challenge.”
San Benito dispatched their challenger in Arroyo Grande Thursday behind seven shutout innings from starting pitcher Anthony Ocampo, who allowed just four hits while striking out five.
“We weren’t taking anyone lightly,” Joe Ocampo said. “Everyone was ready to go. I don’t think there was a doubt.
“It’s a confident group of kids, which is good.”
At the plate, San Benito pounded out 12 hits and capitalized on three Arroyo Grande errors.
They got things started in the second inning, when Emmett King’s RBI double scored Anthony Ocampo from second base, and Dustin Rovella followed with a sacrifice fly that plated Mark Nakata.
In the third, Sergio Cosio reached second on an error and a stolen base, and Jacob Cabral knocked him in on an RBI single. Ocampo then connected on an RBI double to score Cabral, and run San Benito out to a 4-0 lead.
The local 14 year olds scored three more runs in the following inning. Starting with a single by King, Rovella followed with a walk and Tyler Quinby knocked in King on a single. Cosio did the same, hitting an RBI single that plated Rovella, while Quinby scored off an Adrian Medina single that resulted in an error on the center fielder.
