Little League, Babe Ruth teams near perfect after first weekend
of tournament play
Hollister
Little League and Babe Ruth baseball was in full force last weekend, as eight area teams took to the fields for postseason play.
The San Benito Babe Ruth 13-year-old All-Stars began their title defense in the Central California State Qualifier Tournament in Hollister, and they practically picked up where they left off from one year ago.
After dismantling Manteca in the championship game last year, 24-0, San Benito opened this year’s tournament with a shortened 12-1 victory against Manteca in the first round.
Rudy Sanchez pitched 5 innings of one-hit ball for San Benito.
“He utterly dominated the game,” manager Angel Rueda said.
The game was called in the sixth inning due to the 10-run rule.
Sanchez added a double at the plate, while teammate Jose Guzman went 3-for-4 to lead the San Benito offense. Cole Daniel also reached base four times.
It was 5-0 for much of the contest, Rueda said, until San Benito scored seven times in the sixth inning. Tyler Heenan’s two-run single in the sixth pushed San Benito past the 10-run limit.
Catcher Skyler Shaw-Fuss even threw a pair of runners out in the game. Said Rueda, “After he threw those kids out, no one tried to run again.”
San Benito followed Saturday’s win over Manteca with an easy 11-0 victory against Lodi on Sunday. That game was called in the fifth inning due to the 10-run rule.
Shaw-Fuss was on the mound for San Benito, and threw all five shutout innings.
Guzman led the team offensively, going 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles.
“We’re hitting up and down the lineup,” Rueda said. “We’re getting great performances from everybody.”
The manager said his team has given up just five walks. Said Rueda, “We’ve been hitting our spots and making the pitches when we need them.”
San Benito was scheduled to face Oakdale in the semifinal round of the championship bracket on Monday night at Veterans Memorial Park in Hollister. A win would advance San Benito to Wednesday’s final. Due to a late scheduled start, however, the final score was not available at press time.
Seven All-Star teams from the Hollister Little League made their debut last weekend as well in the District 9 Tournament, including all four 9- and 10-year-old squads from both the American and National League.
Hollister National B was the lone team of the three not to win their first game, but they ended up losing to Hollister American B, 7-2. American B will play Ferrasci Wednesday, and National B will play Tuesday against the winner between Atlantic and King City.
Hollister American A won 19-0 over Gonzales, and will play Continental on Wednesday. Hollister National A is already 2-0 after it won the pigtail game 31-3 over King City 2. After beating King City 1, 10-1, National A will play National on Wednesday.
At the 8- and 9-year-old division, both Hollister American and National teams split their first two games but remain alive in the loser’s bracket.
In the Junior League, which is made up of 13- and 14-year-old All-Stars, Hollister opened with a 19-5 victory against Gonzales, and was scheduled to play North County on Monday night at Muni Stadium in Salinas. No score was reported at press time. A Hollister win, however, would advance the local All-Stars to a Wednesday match-up against the Atlantic-Hartnell victor on Wednesday. A loss would send them to the loser’s bracket, where they would face Continental Tuesday at 5 p.m.
Check online at www.freelancenews.com for the latest updates.
