Hollister National’s Mason Marquez connects on two-out, two-run
double in the bottom of the sixth to defeat Petaluma National 7-6
Tuesday in the NorCal Division II Tournament; Hollister Junior
League All-Stars and Hollister National 11- and 12-year-old
All-Stars both suffer first losses of Division II tourney
CHICO
With an improbable five-run sixth inning, culminating with a walk-off, two-run double by Mason Marquez, the Hollister National 9- and 10-year-old All-Stars remained alive in the NorCal Division II Tournament on Tuesday night when they edged Petaluma National 7-6 at Chico Eastside Little League.
The local all-stars, who lost to Section 2 representative Sutter Buttes on Sunday but have since won two straight games in the elimination bracket, will square off against Sutter Buttes for a second time on Wednesday night in the elimination bracket’s semifinal round.
The winner will advance to Thursday’s Division II championship against Section 3 representative San Ramon, which defeated Sutter Buttes 16-0 on Tuesday night.
Wednesday’s rematch between Hollister National and Sutter Buttes, which beat Hollister 4-2 last Sunday, was only made possible after the boys in blue posted a five-spot in the bottom of the sixth inning against Petaluma.
Trailing 6-2 and with one out, Hollister’s Javier Valdez started the rally with a single, while teammate Giovanni Giannotta reached first base after being hit by a pitch.
Ryan Jameson then connected on an RBI double, cutting Petaluma’s lead to three runs.
But Petaluma recorded its second out of the inning one batter later, cutting Hollister’s chances of a come-from-behind rally.
However, with two runners on, Nick Christian reached first base after being hit by a pitch when Isaiah Bueno hit a two-RBI double to cut Petaluma’s lead to just one run.
Mason Marquez then delivered the game-winner — a two-RBI double that supplied both the game-tying run as well as the go-ahead run for a 7-6 walk-off victory.
On the mound, Christian tossed 4.2 innings and allowed six runs on 10 hits, striking out four in the process. He was relieved by Ryan Platero, who struck out two and allowed one hit over the remaining 1.1 innings.
After two scoreless innings by both teams to start the game, Petaluma grabbed a 3-0 lead in the third, then increased it to a 5-0 cushion one inning later.
Hollister got on the board in the fourth when Marquez doubled and Tyler Triano singled to start the inning. Garrett Bourdet then followed with a sacrifice to score Marquez, while Ryan Quinby trailed with an RBI double.
Petaluma responded with one run in the fifth to make it 6-2, setting up Hollister’s last-inning heroics in the sixth.
Hollister National and Sutter Buttes will now face off on Wednesday night at Chico Eastside Little League. First pitch is 7 p.m.
Hollister Junior League
The Hollister Junior League All-Stars dropped their first game in the NorCal Division II Tournament on Tuesday night when they lost to Rocklin 6-1.
Hollister will play again on Wednesday night in the elimination bracket, where it will square off against Half Moon Bay. First pitch is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. at American River College in Sacramento.
The winner will advance to the Division II championship on Thursday night against Rocklin.
Hollister opened the tournament last Saturday against Half Moon Bay, and defeated them by a 10-1 margin.
Hollister National Major Division
The Hollister National Major Division All-Stars also dropped their first game in the NorCal Division II Tournament on Tuesday night when they lost to Napa National 4-3.
Hollister National, now playing within the elimination bracket, will face off against Tri-City (Rocklin) on Wednesday night at Centennial Park in Vacaville. First pitch is 7 p.m.
The winner will advance to the Division II championship on Thursday night against Napa National, the Section 1 representative.
On Saturday, Hollister National defeated Tri-City with a walk-off 3-2 victory.
