The Junior League All-Stars, after defeating Continental 3-2 on
Monday night, will play Continental for the championship on
Thursday; Hollister American and Hollister National will meet up in
the District 9 Major All-Star Tournament semifinals on Thursday
night
HOLLISTER
Both the San Benito Babe Ruth 13- and 14-year-old All-Star teams emerged victorious on Monday night, and both will play in the District 1 State Qualifier Tournament championship on Wednesday night.
After topping Lodi 15-7 on Sunday, the 13-year-olds defeated Manteca on Monday to advance to the finals. San Benito will play the winner between Lodi and Manteca – the two teams met up on Tuesday night – at Veterans Memorial Park on Wednesday night in Hollister at 5:30 p.m.
San Benito manager Ron Fhurong could not be reached by press time.
The 14-year-olds, meanwhile, trumped Modesto 16-2 on Sunday and managed to stave off Lodi on Monday night by a narrow 4-3 margin at Grace Davis Field in Modesto.
“It wasn’t easy on the stomach,” San Benito manager Angel Rueda said. “It was tough, but we got through it.”
Below, see video highlights of youth baseball on The San Benito Score.
San Benito will now play for the District 1 championship, scheduled for Wednesday night in Modesto at 5:30 p.m., against either Lodi or Manteca.
“Lodi played a great game (on Monday night),” Rueda added. “They saved some pitchers especially for us … I give all the credit in the world to Lodi. They did what they needed to do and they were right there.
“Luckily, we had just enough in the tank.”
Following its comfortable victory on Sunday in which Dalan Hoskins, Rudy Sanchez and Juan Rios each had multiple hits – the game against Modesto went seven innings after San Benito plated seven runs in the last inning – the local 14-year-olds battled with Lodi, which threw a sidearm pitcher that kept San Benito off balance.
“We started out slow,” Rueda said.
But Skyler Shaw-Fuss opened the game up in the third inning after he singled on, then advanced to second on a throwing error. Hoskins followed with an RBI single to give San Benito a 1-0 lead.
After Lodi tied the game at 1-all in the bottom half, San Benito came right back in the fourth when Jose Guzman, Tyler Pina and Justin Patterson provided three consecutive hits that led to two more runs, while Patterson would later score on a pass ball at home plate to give San Benito a 4-1 lead.
Lodi wouldn’t go away, however, and scored a pair of runs in the sixth to cut San Benito’s lead to just one run. In the seventh, after San Benito went in order, Lodi put its No. 1 hitter in the lineup on first base with one out.
Expecting the steal, reliever Rudy Sanchez threw a pitchout to catcher Jose Guzman, who then threw a strike to second base to catch Lodi’s speedy base runner.
“In my opinion, that was the play of the game right there,” Rueda said.
Sanchez forced the next batter to ground out, leading San Benito to a 4-3 victory and a date in tonight’s championship final.
“I don’t think we played to the best of our ability and we still came out with a win, which is a positive thing for us,” Rueda said. “But Lodi played a great game.”
Hollister Junior League
The Hollister Junior League All-Stars, after defeating Continental 3-2 on Monday night, will play Continental for the championship on Thursday night at Salinas’ Muni Stadium.
First pitch is at 5:30 p.m.
Hollister American 11-12
The Hollister American 11- and 12-year-old All-Stars defeated Hartnell 21-2 at the District 9 Major All-Star Tournament on Tuesday night to advance to Thursday night’s semifinal round against Hollister National.
First pitch is 5:30 p.m., at Continental.
Hollister National 11-12
The Hollister National 11- and 12-year-old All-Stars defeated Soledad 8-2 at the District 9 Major All-Star Tournament on Tuesday night to advance to Thursday night’s semifinal round against Hollister American.
First pitch is 5:30 p.m., at Continental.
Hollister American 10-11
The Hollister American 10- and 11-year-old All-Stars defeated Ferrasci (19-5) and Hollister National (12-2) at the District 9 All-Star Tournament last weekend to advance to Wednesday night’s semifinal against Hartnell.
First pitch is 5:30 p.m., at Gonzales.
Hollister National 10-11
The Hollister National 10- and 11-year-old All-Stars defeated Continental 8-4 on Monday night in the elimination bracket, then advanced past Ferrasci 4-2 on Tuesday night to advance to the consolation semifinals of the District 9 All-Star Tournament.
Hollister National will play Thursday night against the loser between Hollister American and Hartnell. First pitch is 5:30 p.m., at Ferrasci Park.
Hollister American 9-10 A
The Hollister American 9- and 10-year-old All-Stars lost to Hollister National A 10-8 on Tuesday night at the District 9 All-Star Tournament, and will play in the consolation semifinals on Wednesday night against Hartnell.
First pitch is 5:30 p.m., at Salinas American.
Hollister National 9-10 A
The Hollister National 9- and 10-year-old All-Stars defeated Hollister American A 10-8 on Tuesday night at the District 9 All-Star Tournament to advance to Friday’s championship against the winner between Hollister American A and Hartnell.
First pitch is 5:30 p.m., at Ferrasci Park.
San Juan-Aromas 11-12
The San Juan-Aromas 11- and 12-year-old All-Stars lost to Scotts Valley (1-19) at the District 39 Major All-Star Tournament last Thursday, and played Pajaro Valley in the elimination bracket Tuesday night.
No score was reported at press time.
