CUPERTINO – A gut feeling by Hollister National manager Jerry
Sepulveda penciled in Oscar Ramirez as starting pitcher in
Wednesday night’s Division 2 9-10 Little League All-Stars
Tournament at Wilson Park in Cupertino.
Ramirez responded in kind with six innings of gutty pitching,
stifling Alameda on two hits on his way to pocketing a 4-0 shutout.
Hollister National and Alameda face off tonight at 5:30 p.m. with
the winner taking all of
”
The Best Team in Northern California
”
spoils.
CUPERTINO – A gut feeling by Hollister National manager Jerry Sepulveda penciled in Oscar Ramirez as starting pitcher in Wednesday night’s Division 2 9-10 Little League All-Stars Tournament at Wilson Park in Cupertino.
Ramirez responded in kind with six innings of gutty pitching, stifling Alameda on two hits on his way to pocketing a 4-0 shutout. Hollister National and Alameda face off tonight at 5:30 p.m. with the winner taking all of “The Best Team in Northern California” spoils.
Sepulveda, who debated between Jahziel Gonzalez or Ramirez, now has another debate within for tonight’s game. Should he go with the junkballing Gonzalez or the fastball-hurling Daniel Arevalo? Arevalo gave up just three hits in National’s 2-1 loss to Alameda last Monday, but will only have two days rest going in.
“I’ll sleep on it,” said Sepulveda following his club’s huge victory. “It will be a tough decision.”
Sepulveda made the right decision with Ramirez, whose breaking pitch had Alameda hitters reaching, for the most part. Ramirez, who fanned three hitters, was part Houdini at times, as he got himself in mini-jams with three walks and two hit batsmen.
Alameda manager Daryl Thomas felt it was more what his hitters did than what Ramirez was offering.
“We were impatient and reaching,” said Thomas, whose team suffered its first loss in All-Stars play. “My kids were anxious. We didn’t bring our ‘A’ game. But we’re a resillient group and I’m confident the boys will bounce back.”
Ramirez can give thanks to an airtight defense, which committed just one error and made web gem after web gem, to coin a phrase from ESPN.
Arevalo, playing shortstop, made a near impossible play off jumpstreet, going to his right deep in the hole to throw out Brandon Woo to start the game. Then, after pest Billy Johnson walked and advanced to second on a passed ball, third baseman Adrian Casarez stuck up his glove to catch a lazer off the bat of A.J. Vanegas for the final out of the inning. Casarez held the glove up for a few seconds as if in amazement the ball was still in it. It was all one beautiful pearl to Ramirez and Hollister National.
National second baseman Joey Schulman handled a ball smoothly near the second base bag to deny Jordan Thomas of a basehit to start the bottom of the second.
Vanegas, who homered and doubled in the win over National, was up in a big situation once more in third. Woo walked with one out, then Johnson was hit by a pitch with two out. Vanegas hit a fly ball down the left field line, but waiting in perfect position was Ricky Garcia for the putout.
The fifth inning was all Eric Escalante. Escalante, playing third base, had an inning he’ll remember the rest of his life. He charged in on a bunt from Armijo, cut in front of Ramirez to pick up the ball barehanded, then threw out Armijo at first. He snagged Woo’s hard grounder, sticking with it, but his throw to first was a bit high and Cooper Sepulveda, stretch though he might, couldn’t quite keep his foot on the bag. Didn’t seem to bother Escalante, who was like a kid in a candy store in this Kodak Moment. Alameda’s Josh Tinnon tried to bunt, but he popped the ball up in foul territory about halfway between home and third. Escalante went full bore with a headlong dive and caught it, a remarkable catch. Escalante wasn’t done. After Johnson was hit by a pitch once again, Vanegas hit a pop up in foul real estate about eight yards behind third base. Escalante turned his back to home plate and ran, looked up at the last second and gloved it to end the threat.
“Eric really stepped it up out there,” said Jerry Sepulveda. “I’ve always said that if he can get to the ball, he will catch it. He has soft hands.”
National didn’t have a lot of offense to show, with just three hits off Armijo and Jordan Thomas, who pitched the final 2.1 innings. National manufactured two runs without a hit in the third. Garcia walked, then Sepulveda was hit in the helmet. Arevalo was pitched around on four straight pitches to load ’em up. Garcia, one of the top baserunners on the team, sped in on a passed ball.
One out later, Casarez flied out to fairly deep center to drive in Sepulveda. Arevalo, however, tagged up late from second and went to third. He was out fairly easily as Alameda, a fine defensive team, cut off the throw in the infield and fired to third to get Arevalo.
If Arevalo, who doubled to center in the first, continues to do what he did in the fifth, he can be allowed a non-paying gamble on the basepaths once in awhile. After Sepulveda was beaned in the noggin for the second time, Arevalo creamed a shoulder-high fastball past the center field wall for a two-run home run and two big insurance runs.
Arevalo is starting to make this tournament his own personal showcase. In four games, he is 8-for-12 with a walk, three doubles, a homer and five RBI.
“He’s a gamer,” said Thomas of Arevalo. “We didn’t want to pitch to him in situations where he could hurt us. But, he reached way away for that ball he hit out.”
Ramirez gave up a two-out single in the sixth to Nathan Cole, but got the final out on a pop-up to Sepulveda at first as the rapidly growing Hollister National fan club went crazy.
“I don’t think it has hit me where I am, yet,” said Jerry Sepulveda.
It will sink in tonight at about 5:30 p.m. when the words, “Play ball!” are uttered.
Game notes: Schulman had the other hits for Hollister National…..David LaFleur doubled off of Garcia’s glove in center in the fourth for Alameda’s other hit…..Armijo and Thomas combined for seven K’s, four looking….Alameda committed for errors, but none cost then runs…..Johnson or Vanegas will start for Alameda.
Hol Nat 002 020 – 4 3 1
Alameda 000 000 – 0 2 4
Ramirez and Gonzalez; Armijo, Thomas (4) and Cole. WP-Ramirez. LP-Armijo. 2B – Arevalo (HN); LaFleur (A). HR – Arevalo (HN). 2 RBI – Arevalo (HN).
