All three California District 42 Little League Section 7 championship teams find themselves positioned in Wednesday’s Southern California Sub-Division III South championship games. But an asterisk needs to be placed besides two match-ups.
Eastlake Little League’s 11U all-star team will take the field at Newmark Little League in San Bernardino at 7 p.m. needing only one win to advance to the next level.
However, both Eastlake Little League’s 10U and Parkview Little Leauge’s 12U all-star teams will need to win double-elimination games on Wednesday to force championship replays (the “if necessary game) on Thursday.
Eastlake’s 10U all-stars will face Section 10 champion Aliso Viejo in Wednesday’s championship game at Aliso Viejo Little League, with Aliso Viejo needing to win to advance to the Division III tournament. Game time is 6:30 p.m.
Park View’s 12U all-stars will face Section 10 champion Ladera Ranch in Wednesday’s championship game at Escondido National Little League, with Ladera Ranch needing to win to advance to the Division III tournament. Game time is 6:30 p.m.
The three sub-division tournaments started July 23. The division tournaments start this Saturday.
10U All-Stars
Eastlake came from behind to defeat Section 9 champion Eastvale Little League, 3-2, on Saturday, July 23, to advance to an ensuing winners bracket match-up against Section 10 champion Aliso Viejo on Monday, July 25.
Aliso Viejo won 7-3 to drop Eastlake to the challenger bracket in the four-team tournament while Aliso Viejo drew a bye to Wednesday’s championship game.
Facing elimination, Eastlake defeated Section 6 champion 4S Ranch, 9-1, on Tuesday, July 26, to draw a championship rematch against Aliso Viejo.
Should Eastlake win on Wednesday in the double-elimination tournament, a second championship game would be played Thursday, July 28, at 6:30 p.m.
The winner advances to the best-of-three Southern California Division III championship series July 30-Aug. 1 at Lompoc American Little League.
Eastlake is 9-2 in all-star play in three tournaments thus far.
11U All-Stars
Eastlake came from behind to defeat Section 6 champion Del Mar American Little League, 5-4, in nine innings in last Saturday’s tournament opener and has continued to remain undefeated in tournament play since then.
On Sunday, July 24, Eastlake rang up a 23-3 win over Section 9 champion Orangecrest and followed that up on Monday with a 17-6 victory over Section 8 champion Southridge to advance to Wednesday’s championship game that will feature a rematch against Southridge.
Eastlake is 10-2 in all-star play in three tournaments thus far.
The Southern California Sub-Division III South champion advances to the Southern California Division III championship series July 30-31 at Upland Foothill Little League.
12U All-Stars
After blasting its way through the Section 7 championship with 45 runs in three games, Park View received a reality check in its first game at the sub-division tournament with a 4-2 loss to Section 8 champion Bloomington Little League.
Bloomington scored four times in the first inning and though Park View chipped away with single runs in the second and sixth innings, it was not enough to overcome the early deficit. Adriel Colmenero and Omar Cordero each drove in runs for Park View in the loss. Colmenero had two of Park View’s four hits. Lucas Marrujo and Cordero each scored runs for Park View, which had 12 batters strike out in the contest. Cordero hit one home run.
The District 42 champions have been battling their way through the challenger bracket since then, with one loss eliminating them from the road to the Little League World Series.
Thus far, Park View has ended the Little League World Series dream for three teams.
Park View blasted Section 9 champion La Sierra out of the tournament with a demonstrative 16-2 win in a quick turn-around game on Sunday. Park View got its bats going by slamming eight home runs in the game. Cordero hit two home runs while Marrujo, Anthony Soto Jr., Julian Padilla, Daniel Leon, Jonluke Hobdy and Santiago Garcia each deposited balls over the fence.
Park View rapped out 15 hits in the elimination contest. Cordero had three hits and drove in four runs with nine total bases. Garcia collected three RBI while Soto and Padilla each had two RBI. Marrujo, Ali Camarillo, Cordero and Soto each scored two runs.
The game went four innings, with Devin Hinojosa and Colmenero each pitching two innings while scattering eight hits and combining for five strikeouts.
Monday’s elimination game featured a match-up of two San Diego County teams. When District 6 champion San Carlos opened the tournament with a lopsided 14-3 win over La Sierra, some might have tabbed them the favorite to advance to the next level. However, Section 10 champion Ladera Ranch had other ideas in mind and dropped San Carlos to the challenger bracket with a 12-7 victory in Sunday’s winners bracket game.
Park View met San Carlos in a nerve-racking elimination game on Monday, with Park View pulling out an 8-5 victory to stem a late San Carlos rally.
Park View took control with six runs in the top of the first inning to force San Carlos to play catch-up. Par View led 8-2 through for innings and managed to weather a three-run uprising in the bottom of the sixth inning to close out the game – and end San Carlos’ Little League World Series dream.
If a San Diego team does, in fact, advance through the sub-division bracket, it would be Park View, not San Carlos.
Park View pounded out 14 hits in the win over San Carlos, including a double by Camarillo and home run by Lizarraga. Cordero and Marrujo each stroked three singles while Amara singled twice. Lizarraga led the team with four RBI while Cordero scored three runs.
Park View’s pitching was just as much the story of the game. Lizarraga pitched five-and-two-thirds innings and allowed two hits while striking out 13 batters. Marrujo added one more strikeout in relief for a total of 14 in the game for the victors.
Lizarraga threw 88 pitches – 60 of them strikes.
Torin Mooney and Jake Lowrey combined for 8 strikeouts in the loss. Mooney and Garrett Willis each scored two runs for San Carlos while Christian Toleno collected three RBI.
Meanwhile, Ladera Ranch defeated Bloomington, 16-4, in Monday’s winners bracket final to earn a berth in Wednesday’s championship game. That necessitated an elimination game on Tuesday between Bloomington and Park View.
Park View won the rematch 9-5 to advance to Wednesday’s double-elimination game against Ladera Ranch, which has outscored opponents 28-11 in two tournament games thus far.
Park View got the jump on Bloomington in the rematch by scoring twice in the top of the first inning. Bloomington, the reigning Section 8 champion, got one run back in the bottom of the first inning and came back to tie the game, 2-2, with a run in the bottom of the third inning. But Park View staved off elimination by pouring across four runs in the top f the fourth inning and added three more key runs in the top of the fifth inning to take a 9-2 lead.
Bloomington scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning but it was too little, too late.
Park View tapped out 10 hits in the game. Marrujo collected five total bases in the game while Camarillo and Garcia each had four total bases. Camarillo, Marrujo and Garcia each hit home runs while Padilla blasted a tripe. Garcia drove in three runs to lead Park View while Cordero and Marrujo each scored two runs. Marrujo went two-for-four, scored twice and drove in one run.
On the mound, Camarillo went five innings, scattering five hits and allowing two runs while striking out four batters. Padilla came on to nail down the save with one inning of one-hit ball and two strikeouts.
Park View, which is 10-2 overall in three post-season tournaments, has scored 37 runs in its four sub-division tournament games.
If Park View wins Wednesday’s game, a championship replay would take place on Thursday, July 28, at 6:30 p.m. If Ladera Ranch wins on Wednesday, it wins the sub-division championship and advances along the road to South Williamsport.
The best-of-three Southern California Division III championship series is scheduled July 30-31 at Escondido National Little League.
Championship update:
12U All-Stars
Park View 7, Ladera Ranch 0
Park View 6, Ladera Ranch 5
(Park View wins sub-division championship)
10U All-Stars
Aliso Viejo 11, Eastlake 5
(Aliso Viejo wins sub-division championship)
11U All-Stars
Southridge 9, Eastlake 8
Southridge 12, Eastlake 2
(Southridge wins sub-division championship)
Park View advances to Southern California Division III finals
Park View held off Ladera Ranch, 6-5, in an exciting contest that went the full six-inning distance Thursday night to claim the Southern California Sub-Division III South championship title. Park View took a 6-4 lead into the final frame. Ladera Ranch scored one run to trim the Park View lead to 6-5 and then positioned a runner at second base with one out with the potential game-tying run. But Park View got the final two outs on strikeouts to end the game in dramatic fashion.
Park View improved to 5-1 in the sub-division tournament and 12-2 in postseason all-star play. All five wins came with the reigning District 42 and Section 7 champions facing elimination in each game.
Park View will play Redondo Beach in the Division III best-of-three championship series, which starts Saturday, July 30, at 11 a.m. at Escondido National Little League.
More details to follow as they become available
