Chula Vista American Little League is making a historic journey to this weekend’s 11U Southern California Division III championship tournament, but just don’t say it was easy.
Monday’s Southern California-South Sub-Division III championship game against California Section 8 champion Newmark Little League turned into a supreme test of the team’s mettle, fortitude and discipline.
As the road to the state championship has narrowed, the stakes have gotten higher and the competition has gotten better.
“Newmark was the visiting team for the game but they hosted the sub-division tournament,” CVA manager Javier Aguirre explained. “They had a big crowd and it was a difficult game from the start.”
Newmark scored three runs in the top of the first inning and got off to an early lead, while the Chula Vista American offense went scoreless for the first three innings.
The Section 7 champions scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning on a two-run RBI double by Kellen Ince to get back in the game. But Newmark responded with a solo home run by Christian Kirk in top of the fifth inning to make the score 4-2.
Chula Vista took its first lead of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning by scoring three runs. A two-run home run by Devin Hinojosa tied the game and an RBI single by Ince gave Chula Vista American a 5-4 lead.
But the home field advantage proved difficult to overcome, Aguirre said.
“We were three outs away but Newmark wasn’t done,” the Chula Vista manager explained. “They took advantage of a couple of errors on the field and some timely hits and once again took the lead by scoring three runs.”
The tables were suddenly turned, with Newmark holding a 7-5 lead while needing only three outs to close out the game and force a championship replay between the teams.
Newmark was two outs away from winning the game until Bret Leonhardt slammed a two-run home run to give his team what Aguirre called “new life.”
The game was deadlocked, 7-7, after six innings of regulation play.
Chula Vista American inserted Ben Wood on the mound for the seventh and eighth innings. He shut out Newmark but was severely tested in the eighth inning when Newmark loaded the bases with just one out. But Wood struck out the final two batters in the inning to thwart the rally.
Leonhardt then gave Chula Vista American the win by hitting a dramatic two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Chula Vista American won the game, 9-7, but it took a heroic effort. Much of those same heroics will be required in this weekend’s Division III championship series against Southern California-North Sub-Division III winner Tustin Western.
Tustin Western defeated West L.A., 15-5, to win the SoCal-North sub-division title.
The best-of-three division championship series starts Saturday, Aug. 1, and continues with games on Sunday, Aug. 2, and, if necessary, on Monday, Aug. 3, at Newmark Little League in San Bernardino. All games are scheduled at 7 p.m.
Regardless of which team comes out on top, it is the end of the road for this age division. The Division III champion emerges as the regional state champion.
Hinojosa started Monday’s sub-division championship game and pitched five innings, allowing four runs while chalking up five strikeouts.
Leonhardt pitched one inning in relief and allowed one earned run.
Wood closed the game by pitching two innings, with five strikeouts and no earned runs.
Leonhardt led the CVA offense with two home runs and four RBI while Hinojosa clubbed one home run with two RBI. Ince collected three RBI in the game.
Road to the championship
Chula Vista American finished the sub-division tournament 3-0. The District 42 champions opened the tournament last Friday with an 8-0 win over Section 10 champion Aliso Viejo and followed with a 6-2 win over Newmark in a winners bracket game on July 25
In the first match-up against Newmark, Chula Vista American took an early 4-0 lead on a two-run home run by Leonhardt and a two-run RBI double by Anthony Aguirre.
Newmark’s starting pitcher settled down after that, however, and got on a roll by not allowing Chula Vista to score in the next two innings. Meanwhile, Newmark scored two runs in the bottom of the third inning to trim the CVA lead to 4-2.
Anthony Aguirre gave momentum back to Chula Vista American by hitting a solo home run in top of the fourth inning to make the score 5-2 in Chula Vista American’s favor.
Chula Vista American held Newmark scoreless in the bottom of the fourth inning and added another run in the top of the fifth inning on a solo home run by Kyle Chapman.
Leonhardt closed the game by pitching the sixth inning, surviving a bases-loaded scare by striking out the last batter on a full count.
Aaron De Casas pitched two-and-two-thirds innings with eight strikeouts while Christian Lizarraga pitched two innings with two strikeouts. Leonhardt pitched one-and-one-third innings with two strikeouts.
On offense, Anthony Aguirre went 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBI while Leonhardt went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI.
Chula Vista American shut out Aliso Viejo behind a combined two-hitter by Hinojosa and DeCasas. Hinojosa pitched five scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and one hit allowed while DeCasas pitched one scoreless inning in relief.
Chula Vista American scored three runs in the first inning, including two on an RBI double by Wood and one on an RBI single by Anthony Aguirre.
Chula Vista American added four more runs on five extra base hits: a two-run home run by Leonhardt, two-run RBI double by Wood and three other doubles by Hinojosa, Chris Leyva and Ryan Torres.
Chula Vista American’s last run came in the top of the sixth inning on an RBI single by Leonhardt to score Leyva.
YOUTH BASEBALL SCOREBOARD
Sweetwater Valley Little League 12U All-Stars
California District 42 champions
California Section 7 champions
Southern California South Division III champions
Southern California Division III champions
United States West Zone tournament
Chula Vista American Little League 11U All-Stars
California District 42 champions
California Section 7 champions
Southern California South Division III champions
Southern California Division III runner-up
Chula Vista South PONY-13 All-Stars
San Diego Section champions
Southwest Region champions
Super-Region champions
United States West Zone champions
PONY-13 World Series (in championship game)
