After allowing three runs in the first inning to the Red Sox of
Hollister American, the Dodgers plated eight unanswered runs en
route to an 8-3 victory last Friday in Salinas, and earned the
District 9 TOC title in the process with a perfect 4-0 record.
HOLLISTER
Dodgers manager Blair Biersdorff has delivered his “peaks and valleys” mantra all season, and when his team found itself in a 3-0 hole after one half-inning of play last Friday in the Minor Division’s Tournament of Champions final, the Hollister skipper went right to his routine.
“We’re in a valley right now,” Biersdorff told his players. “Just relax. There is a lot of baseball left.”
Indeed. After allowing three runs in the first inning to the Red Sox of Hollister American, the Dodgers plated eight unanswered runs en route to an 8-3 victory last Friday in Salinas, and earned the District 9 TOC title in the process with a perfect 4-0 record.
“Long story short, they put the ball in play,” Biersdorff said. “They all settled down and allowed all three runs in the first inning.
“I preach this every year I coach — baseball is a game of peaks and valleys.”
Hollister American managed to take the early lead when it scored three runs in the first frame on three straight hits. Slade Wilson and Nathan Morioka both singled on to start the game, then advanced home on a Matt Campo double.
“We started off with a bang, with a lot of hits,” Red Sox manager Nick Haas said. “We started off really great. But overall, a few errors is probably what cost us.”
Ben Zanger sparked a five-run inning for the Dodgers with a two-run double in the third, and the Hollister National representatives took the lead for good later in the inning.
Biersdorff said the Nino cousins — Brenden and Joseph — made outstanding defensive plays in the outfield and at third base, respectively. Pitcher Dawson Biersdorff, meanwhile, settled down after the first inning and faced all but two batters before reaching the pitch-count limit, which is 75 pitches for 9-year-olds.
The two Hollister teams — Red Sox (American) and Dodgers (National) — outlasted 10 other teams to reach the TOC final.
In fact, the three runs allowed in the championship by the Dodgers were the only runs allowed by the Hollister National team in the entire TOC. Hollister National defeated Ferrasci 5-0 in the opening round, topped Atlantic 11-0 in the quarterfinals and Hartnell 8-0 in the semifinals to advance to the tournament championship.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, had a similar start when it defeated Salinas National 11-1 in the quarterfinals before edging King City 11-10 in the semifinal round.
The Red Sox then took three runs from the Dodgers in the championship round to put the Hollister National team on its heels.
“I told them, we’re playing another Hollister team,” Biersdorff said. “They’re gonna hit the ball.”
Both teams received medals for their efforts, while the Dodgers earned the coveted District 9 banner.
Tournament of Champions
District 9
Junior Division
Hollister (2-1) advanced to the championship after winning its first two games against Ferrasci and Continental, but lost in the Junior Division final to Atlantic by a 7-3 margin.
Hollister had defeated Ferrasci 7-0 and Continental 12-1 before falling to Atlantic (3-0) last Thursday.
Major Division
Hollister American ousted Hollister National by a 9-5 score in the quarterfinal round, but lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Hartnell by a narrow 5-3 margin last Tuesday.
Hollister National (1-1) defeated Gonzales 11-1 in the opening round to advance to its quarterfinal matchup with Hollister American (1-1), which received a first-round bye.
District 39
Major Division
San Juan Aromas went 0-2 last week at the Tournament of Champions when it lost its first-round matchup to Santa Cruz American 23-6, then fell in the consolation bracket to San Lorenzo Valley by a narrow 9-8 score.
The tournament championship will be held Tuesday night at Capitola-Soquel Little League.
Minor Division
San Juan Aromas picked up two wins to open the Tournament of Champions last week, but dropped its next two contests and fell short of advancing to the Minor Division title game.
San Juan Aromas (2-2) defeated Santa Cruz National 10-7 to open the double-elimination tournament, then topped Santa Cruz American 8-7 to advance to the semifinal round.
However, the team’s win streak ran out right there as Watsonville American handed San Juan Aromas its first loss. Later, in the consolation semifinals, San Juan Aromas fell to Scotts Valley and were eliminated from contention.
The TOC championship will take place Tuesday between Scotts Valley and Watsonville American at Pajaro Valley Little League.
