Chula Vista American Little League’s 11U all-star team ventured where no other team from the league had gone before and, though the team fell short in fulfilling its quest to win a Southern California Division III state championship title, the journey carried memories of a lifetime.
“It was overall a good experience for our team, not winning that championship doesn’t take away from our accomplishments this season,” Chula Vista American manager Javier Aguirre explained. “We were able to compete at a higher level than last year and prove to ourselves that we belong there.”
Chula Vista American qualified to compete in the Division III championship series by winning the Southern California South Division III title. The Division III level is the highest level possible for this age group and is equivalent of a state championship.
The Division III championship series pitted the Southern California South Division III champion against the Southern California North Division III champion.
Tustin Western earned the right to face Chula Vista American as the Southern California North Division III champion. Tustin Western won sole possession of the Division III state championship by defeating Chula Vista American by scores of 15-6 (Saturday) and 12-8 (Sunday) at Newmark Little League in San Bernardino.
Finishing second out of nearly 300 teams in the age group in Southern California isn’t half bad considering the competitiveness — and population — of the region.
“I’ve been in the league for six-and-a-half years and what this team accomplished is both historic and incredible considering where we are in the balance of the district,” Chula Vista American Little League President LeRoy Donaldson said. “We don’t have that many numbers but to have the level of competition we have has left me speechless. Everybody is feeling the ‘wow’ factor right now.”
Tustin Western 15,
Chula Vista American 6
Chula Vista American scored one run in the first inning and added two more in the second inning on a two-run home run by Christian Lizarraga.
Chula Vista American scored three more runs in the top of the third inning, including two on an RBI single by Ryan Torres.
Lizarraga, Chula Vista American’s starting pitcher, shut out Tustin Western through the first two innings and allowed just two runs in the bottom of the third inning.
“Everything seemed to be going well for us through the first three complete innings,” said Aguirre, whose team led by a score of 6-2 at that point.
From there, the momentum took a pronounced shift.
Tustin Western held Chula Vista American’s offense scoreless in the top of the fourth inning and scored nine runs on the bottom of the frame on a combination of hits and errors by the CVA defense.
Tustin Western took an 11-6 lead and came back to score four more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to lead 15-6.
Tustin Western’s pitching and defense also closed out the game strong by holding Chula Vista American scoreless in the last three innings by allowing just one single and two walks.
Tustin Western 12,
Chula Vista American 8
Chula Vista American scored two runs in the first inning on a two-run home run by Bret Leonhardt. Tustin Western scored one run of its own in the bottom of the first to make it 2-1 Chula Vista.
Chula Vista American scored two more runs on a two-run home run by Aaron De Casas in the third inning while Tustin Western scored one run in the bottom of the third inning.
Score 4-2 Chula Vista American through three innings.
Chula Vista American scored one more run in the top of the fourth inning to extend its lead to 5-2.
Again, the momentum in the game took a sharp turn at this point.
Tustin Western was able to score five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning on only two hits to take a 7-5 lead. Aguirre said the Southern California North Division III champions took “advantage of every situation” his team allowed.
Chula Vista American went scoreless in the top of the fifth inning and Tustin Western came back with five more runs in the bottom of the frame, this time using multiple hits, including a home run by Kai De Los Santos.
At this point, Tustin Western led 12-5.
Chula Vista American attempted a comeback in the top of the sixth inning as Christian Leyva opened with a home run. The District 42 and Section 7 champions strung together multiple hits to score two more runs, but it wasn’t enough as Tustin Western finally nailed down a 12-8 victory.
“In the end, our pitchers pitched well enough to win both games and our offense was strong enough to give us the lead in both games, but to be successful at that level, you also have to play your best, we didn’t do that and Tustin did,” Aguirre summed up.
Chula Vista American finishes with a final 9-3 record in all-star tournament play with three championship banners along the way. The CVA team ages up to the 12U age group next season. Will this be the team to watch on the road to Williamsport in 2016?
Chula Vista American
Little League 11U All-Stars
Team roster
Players: Chris Leyva, Kyle Chapman, Bret Leonhardt, Devin Hinojosa, Ben Wood, Carlo Salvatierra, Aaron DeCasas, Anthony Aguirre, Ryan Torres, Christian Lizarraga, Anthony Rodriguez, Kellen ince
Manager: Javier Aguirre.
Coaches: Juan Torres, Chris Chapman
League president: LeRoy Donaldson
California District 42 champions
Chula Vista American 12, Sweetwater Valley 2
Chula Vista American 9, Park View 8
Park View 11, Chula Vista American 10
Chula Vista American 9, Park View 8
California Section 7 champions
Chula Vista American 13, Calexico 5
Chula Vista American 19, Rancho San Diego 4
Chula Vista American 11, Rancho San Diego 6
Southern California
South Division III champions
Chula Vista American 8, Aliso Viejo 0
Chula Vista American 6, Newmark 2
Chula Vista American 9, Newmark 7 (8 innings)
Southern California
Division III runner-up
Tustin Western 15, Chula Vista American 6
Tustin Western 12, Chula Vista American 8
Tustin Western wins best-of-three series 2-0
