Minor AA Yankees on their way to Saturday’s championship game
with a 12-2 win on Monday
Hollister – Hollister Little League’s Minor League AA Yankees had to field a completely new squad for this season. And, at the start of the 2005 campaign, manager George Campos was counting on his team being competitive but he was also thinking that a .500 season would be a realistic goal for his new-look Yankees.
Fast forward four months to present day and Campos is a happily-surprised man.
His Yankees improved to 12-2 on the season with a 12-2 win over the Orioles in the opening round of the playoffs and will play for the championship on Saturday at Veteran’s Memorial park.
“The kids have been hitting really well all year long,” Campos said. “We’re getting a lot of hits in the bottom of the lineup, which is good. It’s just an all around team effort, we’ve got a good little team this year.”
The Yankees were out to a 2-0 lead after one inning of play but had to deal with a flurry of offense from the Orioles in the second to retain that lead.
With the bases loaded and only one out on the board, Orioles’ outfielder Jake Ford connected with a pitch from Yankees’ starter Alex Garcia, sending the ball into the outfield to plate teammate Easty Urbina and trim the Yankees’ lead to one run at 2-1.
But Garcia dug in and, with the bases still juiced, retired the next two Orioles’ batters he faced to get out of trouble.
Not comfortable with their one-run advantage, the Yankees’ offense proceeded to blow the game open with their at bats in the second.
Catcher Jake Hansen notched the first RBI of the frame when he connected on a low pitch from Orioles’ starter Barrett Neves to bring in Urbina from third.
The Yankees weren’t done there, though.
With two on and two out and the Orioles looking to get out of the inning before the 4-1 score got any worse, Yankees’ shortstop K.C. Hansen ripped a shot to deep center. the two initial baserunners made it across easily and, as Hansen rounded second, the Orioles’ center fielder bobbled his throw to the infield.
Hansen picked his speed up a notch and made it to home plate before the throw arrived for an inside the park home run and three RBI.
“At the start of the season, I didn’t think we were going to be this good,” said Campos after Monday’s game. “But the chemistry is there and the kids have played well this whole season.”
The ‘Yanks added another three runs in the third to put the game out of reach. Ray Downing Jr. got the scoring started with a well-hit single over the third baseman’s head to bring Dalton Shepherd in from third and Chris Blake in from second. Downing Jr. came home shortly after his two-RBI blast thanks to a single from Urbina.
The Yankees will square off against tonight’s winner of the Blue Jays vs. Red Sox contest on Saturday for the Minor League AA Championship.
