Hollister National won five straight games on the way to the championship, while two other Hollister teams won titles as well.
The Hollister National Major Division All Stars did the improbable Sunday in pulling off five consecutive victories on the way to a District 9 title.
Hollister National’s 11-12 team beat Ferrasci out of Salinas 4-3 on Sunday in the district championship game. That came after four necessary wins in the losers’ bracket following a prior defeat against Hollister American.
The key Sunday was a fifth-inning, 3-run homer by Javier Valdez giving Hollister the lead for good. Manager Blair Biersdorff also underscored the importance of the pitching performance by Giovanni Giannotta, who came close to a complete game, along with a snag by second-baseman Nathaniel Garcia on a hard liner to spur a double play at a crucial point in the bottom of the sixth.
“That was huge,” Biersforff said.
Next up for Hollister National, in the age group eligible for the Little League World Series, is the double-elimination section tournament starting Saturday in San Jose. The section tournament winner goes on to the Northern California state tournament.
In its next game, Hollister will play a team from Santa Cruz.
Hollister represented well in other age groups over the weekend, too. The Hollister American 9-10 and 10-11 teams both won their respective district championships.
Look back for more.
