The Hollister American 11-12 All-Stars were eliminated from the
District 9 All-Star Tournament Thursday after suffering an 8-5 loss
to Continental at Continental Little League in Salinas.
11-12
Salinas – The Hollister American 11-12 All-Stars were eliminated from the District 9 All-Star Tournament Thursday after suffering an 8-5 loss to Continental at Continental Little League in Salinas.
“They had an excellent pitcher, but we only had four kids strike out,” Manager Joe Tonascia. “It was a great season. The kids did a great job. It’s just a tough deal.”
Continental’s offense was supplied with two- and three-run homers in the game, while Hollister American’s Craig Slibsager looked to counter with a two-run shot in the first inning.
Richard Beltran added a two-run homer of his own in the third inning, while Skyler Shaw-Fuss scored in the sixth inning after a Daniel Gonzales double.
“The kids are disappointed. It’s a tough deal,” Tonascia said. “But they’re just a bunch of great kids.”
Continental will move on to face Ferrasci in the semifinals of the loser’s bracket. The winner of that game will advance to face King City in the championship.
10-11
Salinas – Hollister National defeated Ferrasci 6-5 on Thursday, and will now play in the championship in what will be a rematch against Hollister American in the 10-11 District 9 All-Star Tournament.
Against Ferrasci, Hollister National jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the fourth inning after Nathan Alvarez hit a three-run double. Hollister National would get out to a 6-2 lead heading into the final inning, where Ferrasci began to mount their comeback.
Ferrasci scored three times in the inning, and had a runner on second base with no one out.
“Our third baseman, Matt Hawk, made a nice play for an out,” Manager Celso Lopez Jr. said. After a pass ball by catcher Dillan Williams, the Ferrasci base runner began to break for third base, but Williams fielded the ball, and “threw a strike to third,” getting the runner out.
Grant Bigness came in relief to the final two batters, and struck out one hitter to seal the 6-5 win for Hollister National.
Saturday’s game between Hollister National and Hollister American will be a rematch from a game played between the two teams on Wednesday.
In that game, Hollister American hit five home runs and defeated Hollister National 9-1, sending Hollister National to the loser’s bracket to face Ferrasci.
Hollister American’s Chris Manderson hit a two-run homer in the first, while Cody Cameron hit a three-run home run in the second.
In the third, Dylan Yamasaki and Manderson teamed up for back-to-back solo homers to start the inning, while in the fourth, Yamasaki led off with yet another solo home run. In all, Hollister American pocketed eight of their nine runs via the long ball.
“It was more than I could have asked for,” Manager Al Lopes said. “I wasn’t expecting five home runs.”
Saturday’s championship final between Hollister American and Hollister National is slated for American Little League in Salinas at 12 p.m.
9-10
Salinas The Hollister American 9-10 All-Stars remained alive on Thursday night with a 12-2 win over Soledad. The local team will now head to the championship game to play another local team, Hollister National, on Saturday.
Hollister American’s game against Soledad was called in the fifth inning due to the 10-run rule. Conner Starke went 2-for-4, while Jose Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with a double. John Biechman also had two of Hollister American’s 13 total hits on the night.
“The whole team played great, offensively and defensively,” Coach Manny Amaral said. “It was a team effort.”
Starter Mike Marler threw four innings and allowed one run against Soledad. Said Amaral, “He’s had a pretty good tournament.”
In all, Hollister American scored seven times in the third inning, and plated five more runs in the fifth.
Hollister American will now face Hollister National in the championship game on Saturday, slated for Continental Little League in Salinas at 10 a.m.
