Cardinals upend Angels in inaugural city tournament
championship, 10-7
Hollister
In the end, it was simply in the Cards.
Certainly not relying on the long ball, the Hollister Little League Cardinals have used timely hitting all season. A year removed in which they finished second to last, the Cardinals didn’t let the long ball affect them, either.
The Cards, of the National League, displayed their offense with 14 hits in a 10-7 win over the Angels Saturday in the city tournament championship at Veterans Memorial Park in Hollister, and capped a year in which they went 15-9 in the regular season.
While the Angels connected on a pair of two-run homers in the game, the Cards strung together enough hits to plate 10 runs and earn the title victory.
“We were a team of making contact, limiting strikeouts and putting the ball in play,” manager Todd Freitas said. “As a team, we did not hit one home run all year.”
Champions of the first half with a 9-3 record, the Cardinals were up against an Angels team that turned it on in the second half. Although they too carried a 15-9 regular season mark, the Angels lost four of their first five games of the season, and went to the midway point of the year with a 5-7 record.
“I think they played well all season,” manager CR Gonzales said. “They just kept working hard all year and I’m very proud of them.”
The Angels finished the second half in the American League as champions with a 10-2 record, and started Saturday’s title game against the Cards on the right foot as well.
After a pair of singles to open the first frame, Weller Maxwell hit an RBI double to give the Angels an early 1-0 edge.
But hits from Riley Lange, Stephen Davis and Tyler Biersdorff all plated runs for the Cardinals, which took a 4-1 lead after one complete inning.
Gonzales said he was unsure as to what exactly was the reason behind his team’s first-half turnaround, but he noted a focus on hitting and his team’s improved approach at the plate as perhaps two reasons for the winning change.
That much was evident in the top half of the second when Josh George blasted a two-run homer to dead-center field, bringing the Angels to within one. In the bottom half, the Angels then displayed defensive prowess when two consecutive singles up the middle resulted in two runners out at home plate.
Seemingly not influenced by the strong defensive play, though, the Cards came back the following inning and scored three more runs, two on a two-run double by Biersdorff and one more on an RBI double from Garret Kelly.
Just like they had done in the second inning, however, the Angels came right back in the fourth when George hit an RBI double and Daniel Gonzales followed with a two-run homer, cutting the Cards’ lead to 7-6.
“When we needed hits, they’d get them,” CR Gonzales said. “From the top of the lineup to the bottom of the lineup.”
The one-run deficit was as close as the Angels would get, however, as the Cardinals pushed ahead in the bottom half of the fourth with three straight doubles from Lange, Davis and Tyler Tobia. Jo Jo Telles later added an RBI single.
“The team came back and put runs on the board and got the momentum back on our side,” Freitas said.
Cards pitcher Cody Freitas threw five innings Saturday to earn the win. Biersdorff came into the game in the seventh in relief. Said Freitas, “We told him to attack the plate. We were gonna make them earn it.”
The Cards manager noted the play of catcher Dillan Williams (who “caught 99 percent of the innings,” Freitas said) and Lange, who pitched on Friday and helped lead the Cards in an 11-1 win against the Nationals in the semifinals.
The Angels also got strong pitching performances from starter Enrique Rodriguez and reliever Adam Gonzales.
“Pitching kept us in the game,” said Gonzales, who thanked coach Rod George. “They should be very proud of what they did and how they got here. I couldn’t ask for a better bunch of kids – great kids and great parents.”
Hollister American 8-9-Year-Old All-Stars
Derek Alvarez
John Blackburn
Marcos Flores
Marco Gaitan
Robert Gasper
Brett Gines
Juan Gutierrez
Jake Ito
Dominick Johnson
Quinten Johnson
Marcus Kelly
Brandon Moekler
Andre Valles
Manager Ruben Gaitan
Hollister National 8-9-Year-Old All-Stars
Mason Marquez
Tanner Wiggins
Tristen Quezada
Nathan Van De Mark
Ryan Quinby
Tyler Triano
Nick Christian
Vincent Chavez
Frank Chavez
Gehrig Mendez
Garrett Bourdet
Ryan Jameson
Isaiah Bueno
Manager David Marquez
Hollister American 9-10-Year-Old A All-Stars
Kyle Cameron
Joe Coffelt
Nathan Fhurong
Adam Gonzales
Yurixa Gonzalez
Tim Manderson
Josh Nehme
Izzak Olejnik
Vincent Parker
Junior Rodriguez
Macen Schwehr
Alex Soto
Josh Tonascia
Manager Frank Soto
Hollister American 9-10-Year-Old B All-Stars
AJ Borges
Mason Click
Diego Fisher
Tyler Grimes
Matt Hill
Zack Mata
Sean Moekler
Derek Moeller
Tanner Okerson
Bradley Sparrer
Jackson Starke
Sam Vicencio
David Werolin
Manager Max Sparrer
Hollister National 9-10-Year-Old A All-Stars
Tyler Biersdorff
Davonte Butler
Austin Cascio
Elijah Changco
Ian Dobbs
Russell Enz
Daniel Hopkins
Ryan Medrano
Justin Sanders
Andrew Sotelo
Drew Williams
Joshua Zanger
Manager Anthony Sotelo
Hollister National 9-10-Year-Old B All-Stars
Mario Canela
Tony Corral
Louis Huntley
Nicholas Lopez
Andres Soto
Landon Alexander
Ulysses Perez
Jonathon Duarte
Christopher Green
Gabriel Hernandez
John Sanchez
Manager Celso Lopez
Hollister American 11-Year-Old All-Stars
Tony Amaral
John Biechman
Cameron Brann
Alex Garcia
Justin Goodwin
Michael Marler
Christopher Moeller
Zach Moeller
Troy Ocampo
Enrique Rodriguez
Marcus Rueda
Easton Urbina
Tyler Yost
Manager Manny Amaral
Hollister National 11-Year-Old All-Stars
John Batelle
Isaiah Caudillo
Brandon Granger
Eddie Gutierrez
Tommy Hernandez
Cory Jacob
Garret Kelly
Quinn Mendoza
Riley Phelps
Austin Ryder
Jo Jo Telles
Jacob Trujillo
Manager Kevin Ryder
Hollister American 11-12-Year-Old All-Stars
Cody Asp
Cody Cameron
Marco Cosio
Tony Diaz
Conner Fabing
Josh George
Daniel Gonzales
Jordan Lopes
Chris Manderson
Marcos Perez
Robert Soto
Conner Starke
Dylan Yamasaki
Manager Robert Fabing
Hollister National 11-12-Year-Old All-Stars
Nathan Alvarez
Grant Bigness
Andrew Breen
Benjamin Cobb
Tyler Fhurong
Cody Freitas
Matthew Hawk
Hunter Haworth
Gregory Moreno
Gregory Steinbeck
Cade Vallejo
Dillan Williams
Manager Todd Freitas
Coach Adam Breen
Hollister Junior League 13-14-Year-Old All-Stars
Brian Becerra
Richie Beltran
Michael Breen
Sean Corral
Lucas Haro
Dylan Ito
Ryan Jacob
Skyler King
Niko Mendoza
Angel Pasillas
Tyler Pina
Craig Slibsager
Jacob Tonascia
Manager Dave Slibsager
Coach Scott Ito
Coach Rudy Mendoza
