Teams from Hollister Little League enjoyed a clean sweep last
week in their respective District 9 All-Star Tournaments. While
Hollister National ‘A’ defeated Soledad in the 9-10 division,
Hollister downed Atlantic in the Junior Division title game,
Hollister National beat Hollister American in the Major Division,
and Hollister American topped Hollister National in the 10- and
11-year-old age bracket.
SALINAS
The Hollister National ‘A’ All-Stars survived a two-round bout with Soledad last Saturday to claim the District 9 championship banner at American Little League in Salinas.
After dispatching Soledad to the elimination bracket with a 6-3 victory in the semifinal round last week, Hollister National ‘A’ again downed Soledad in Saturday’s championship with a 5-1 victory behind strong pitching from Nick Christian and timely hitting from Tyler Triano and Mason Marquez.
Marquez, in fact, was 6 of 6 with a walk in the last two games for Hollister National — both wins for the 9- and 10-year-old team. He was even 3 of 3 in the championship final against Soledad, which defeated Hollister American ‘A’ 4-1 last week to advance to the District 9 title game.
Starting pitcher Nick Christian made sure Soledad was never a threat to score on Saturday, though. The National hurler tossed a complete game on just 64 pitches, allowing four hits while striking out four.
Perhaps more impressive was the fact that he allowed zero bases on balls.
Tyler Triano, who was 2 of 3 at the plate, caught the whole game for Christian, and allowed just one base advancement.
The one and only run Soledad scored didn’t come until the sixth inning, though, when National already held a four-run lead.
The local 9- and 10-year-old All-Stars struck first in the third inning when Giovanni Giannotta drew a walk, then advanced to second on a Nick Christian fielder’s choice. Marquez walked, too, setting up a first-and-third situation for Ryan Platero, who knocked in the game’s first run with an RBI single.
National padded its lead in the fifth when Marquez doubled on, then advanced to third on a Platero fielder’s choice. Isaiah Bueno then singled Marquez home to make it 2-0.
Hollister tacked on some much-needed insurance in the sixth inning when Tyler Triano singled on and Ryan Quinby doubled him home. Later in the inning, after Ryan Jameson connected on a fielder’s choice to advance Quinby to third, Gionnotta bunted for a single and Christian followed with a sacrifice bunt to score Quinby.
Mason Marquez then hit an RBI single to make it a three-run sixth.
Hollister National completes its District 9 slate with a 5-0 record, having outscored its opponents by a 63-6 margin.
The local boys in blue will now play in the Section 5 All-Star Tournament, which is scheduled for this weekend at Milpitas National Little League.
Hollister National will open against District 39 representative Santa Cruz National on Saturday at 1 p.m.
District 9 All-Star Tournament — Junior Division
The Hollister Junior League All-Stars defeated Atlantic 9-4 on Saturday to claim the District 9 championship banner at Muni Stadium in Salinas.
Hollister went 4-0 in the tournament and outscored its respective opponents by a 65-4 margin.
Hollister will now open the Section 5 All-Star Tournament against District 12 on Saturday at Fair Oaks Park in Sunnyvale. First pitch is 2 p.m.
District 9 All-Star Tournament — Major Division
The Hollister National All-Stars defeated Hollister American 5-4 on Sunday to take the District 9 championship at Hartnell Little League field in Salinas.
Hollister National, which went 5-0 in the Major Division tournament, will now advance to the Section 5 All-Star Tournament at Hollister’s Veterans Memorial Park. Hollister National will play the winner between District 59 and District 39 on Sunday at 10 a.m.
Hollister American, meanwhile, advanced to the District 9 title game when it topped King City 16-2 in the elimination bracket. It ends its season with a 4-2 record.
District 9 All-Star Tournament — 10-11 Division
Hollister American defeated Hollister National 5-2 on Friday to take the District 9 championship in the 10- and 11-year-old age division at Gonzales Little League.
Hollister American advances to the Section 5 All-Star Tournament as a result, where it will square off against District 39 on Saturday at Congress Springs Park in Saratoga. First pitch 10 a.m.
Hollister National, meanwhile, wraps up its all-star postseason with a 2-2 record.
