The San Benito 14-year-old Babe Ruth All-Stars sit 2-0 at the
Central California State Tournament in Madera after defeating
Cotton Belt (Fresno) 8-7 and host Madera 13-7 this past
weekend.
Staff Reports
Madera – The San Benito 14-year-old Babe Ruth All-Stars sit 2-0 at the Central California State Tournament in Madera after defeating Cotton Belt (Fresno) 8-7 and host Madera 13-7 this past weekend.
The local All-Stars will play Santa Maria tonight in the semifinals, with the winner advancing to the championship round of the double-elimination tournament.
“Our pitching has been solid. Offensively, the kids have put the ball in play,” Manager Jerry Sepulveda said. “I don’t think we’ve played defense as good as we normally do.
“But these guys play tough. We’ve made some big plays as to not give it away. No matter what happens, they don’t hang their head. They keep moving forward.”
Against Cotton Belt, Daniel Arevalo had a 3-for-3 day with two doubles, Ricky Garcia added a triple and a double, and Jahziel Gonzalez connected for a double to lead San Benito in an 8-7 win.
San Benito used a four-run third inning to push them to victory.
Arevalo threw six innings and struck out five Cotton Belt batters, while Rolando Robles pitched the final inning and struck out a pair.
In their second game of the state tournament against Madera, San Benito scored in every inning, including three runs plated in the third, sixth, and seventh innings.
Garcia went 2-for-3 with a double, Mark Hurley had two hits with a double, and Gonzalez added two doubles.
“Once we got to their starter, we scored in every inning after that,” Sepulveda said. The manager added, though, that it was his team’s pitching that made the difference.
Gonzalez, Robles, and Dillon DiNapoli combined for seven innings against Madera, and were enough to keep the host team at bay.
Sepulveda also highlighted his coaches, Ed Vargas and Keith Stevens, saying, “They’re just a very good influence on the team. We’re lucky to have them both.”
Tonight, San Benito will battle Santa Maria in the semifinals at 8pm in Madera. Sepulveda believes Santa Maria to be San Benito’s toughest competition in this tournament.
But as for his team, Sepulveda said, “I don’t think we’ve played our best game yet.”
