Semis set, championship and All-Stars this weekend
Hollister
Marcus Sabatte’s sacrifice fly to left field in the bottom of the ninth inning plated Sergio Cosio from third base as the Tigers walked off with an 8-7 extra-inning victory over the Rockies Thursday at Veterans Memorial Park.
The Tigers now advance to Saturday’s championship game where they’ll face the winner of the Athletics-Cardinals semifinal match-up. Those two teams will square off tonight, Friday, at 5:30 p.m.
Saturday’s championship is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park.
“They played very good – pretty evenly matched, obviously,” said Tigers manager Jerry Sepulveda. “We had some opportunities, they had some opportunities, and it just fell out our way.”
In a semifinal game that saw two ties and five lead changes, it was the Tigers that pulled ahead in the end after Sabatte and Cooper Sepulveda each singled in the ninth.
“Baseball: Ups and downs, peaks and valleys,” said Rockies coach Lou Urbina. “This was our last chance for the 15-year-olds … but we’ve got a lot of kids coming back next year, so it looks to be a strong team.”
The Rockies jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in first frame when leadoff hitter Ricky Garcia took the second pitch he saw to left field for a double. Garcia would later score on a wild pitch, while Adrian Medina plated the second run off a groundout.
“We gave up a couple of unearned runs early, but we came back and scored,” Jerry Sepulveda said.
The Tigers did come back with four in the bottom half, highlighted by a Sergio Cosio triple. Cosio eventually scored after an RBI single from Sepulveda, while Sepulveda followed when Angel Robres connected for an RBI single to left.
Almost on cue, the Rockies answered when Eric Escelante hit a two-RBI single to make it 4-all, while the Tigers did the same in the bottom of the second when Cosio hit a two-RBI single, giving the Tigers a 6-4 edge.
After 10 combined runs through just two innings, both pitchers – Rolando Robles for the Tigers and Medina for the Rockies – began to settle down.
Both teams were scoreless until the fifth when Garcia blasted a 350-foot double to center field, scoring Adam Huaracha from first base. The Rockies scored two more that inning to nab a narrow 7-6 lead.
While Tiger Mark Nakata scored the tying run in the sixth on a wild pitch, it was the Rockies’ defense that kept them afloat.
The team turned three double plays that kept the Tigers from scoring late, but eventually their luck ran out on Sabatte’s sac fly.
“From what I was told, we had the most double plays in the league,” Urbina said. “That was the momentum. The defense was coming along. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t make the adjustments at the plate.”
Robles pitched seven innings for the Tigers and struck out nine. Sepulveda came in for the eighth and ninth and struck out three, including the last two batters he faced when the Rockies had a runner on second.
“We’re thin on pitching,” Jerry Sepulveda said. “We’ve still got some pitchers, but [Robles] is our go-to guy … Our staff is throwing pretty good, though.”
Medina left after three innings with two strikeouts.
Following the championship on Saturday, All-Star teams will be announced for the 13-, 14- and 15-year-olds, who will then begin their respective state-qualifier tournaments.
The 13-year-old Central California State Qualifier Tournament will be held in Hollister this year, beginning June 28. San Benito will open the tournament against Manteca.
The 14-year-olds won’t begin until July 5 in Modesto, while the 15-year-olds will start July 1 in Stockton.
The 16- through 18-year-olds will open July 12 in Modesto, but All-Stars won’t be announced until their season is complete in early July.
A tournament-title in Modesto, though, would advance the 16-18-year-olds to the Babe Ruth Southwest Regional Tournament, which will begin July 23 in Watsonville.
Little League city tournament semis, championships slated for this weekend
Hollister
The Hollister Little League city tournament is scheduled for Saturday at Veterans Memorial Park, but which team teams will vie for city supremacy has yet to be determined.
Tonight, Friday, the major semifinals will take place, with those two teams emerging victorious advancing to Saturday’s title.
In the American League, the Athletics and the Angels will take Field #2 first at 5 p.m.
The A’s were the first-half champions this year, compiling a 10-2 record. They went 5-7 in the second half to grab a 15-9 overall mark, and will meet the second-half champion Angels, which also carried a 15-9 overall record after going 10-2 in the second half, 5-7 in the first.
The Nationals and Cardinals, representing the National League, will follow at 7 p.m.
The Nationals finished runner-up in both the first (9-3) and second half (7-5), but took the top overall record at 16-8 on the year.
Their opponent, the Cardinals, went 6-6 in the first half but finished strong, going 9-3 in the second half to earn first-place status.
The winner of the American League and the National League will play Saturday at Field #2 at 11:30 a.m.
The city tournament, in its first year, is filling the void left by the Tournament of Champions, which was canceled this year.
Once the city champions are crowned, All-Stars will be announced for each age group and league, and their respective District 9 tournaments will begin from there.
The 8- and 9-year-olds will start July 28; the 9- and 10-year-olds, both A and B squads, will begin July 28; the 11-year-olds start July 5; and the 11- and 12-year-olds commence their District 9 season on July 5. The Junior League, made up of 13- and 14-year-olds, will comprise one team and begin play on July 28.
The city tournament is also in full swing for the Triple-A, Double-A and Farm A leagues, which will all be held this Friday and Saturday at Veterans Memorial Park in Hollister.
Friday’s semifinal games are as follows:
Farm A semifinals – Rockies v. Giants, Field #1, 5:30 p.m. Triple-A semifinals – Cardinals v. Pirates, Field #3, 5 p.m.; Orioles v. Yankees, Field #3, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s championship games are as follows:
Farm A American League, Field #1, 9 a.m.; Farm A National League, Field #1, 11:30 a.m. Double-A National League, Field #3, 9 a.m.; Double-A American League, Field #3, 11:30 a.m. Triple-A American League v. National League, Field #2, 9 a.m.
