There is a new sheriff in town
Coming into the championship round of the District 67 Juniors All-Star Championships Thursday night, Weston Ranch was undefeated on the season, including dispatching Spreckels Park to the consolation bracket in the second round on Saturday. Spreckels Park responded with a victory on Thursday to force a winner-take-all contest Friday when Spreckles Park shellacked tournament host Weston Ranch 14-3 for the championship banner at Paul Weston Park.
“I am very excited,” Spreckels Park coach Rod McCracken said. “I thought my boys were going to be intimidated, but they came through and played a couple of great games.
“I am very proud of my team. We played a heck of a game two nights in a row. We told them that if they wanted to go home they could give up, but they stayed in there and rooted each other on, gave it their best and put the bat on the ball.”
Spreckels Park’s Jonathan Arnoldus pitched into the sixth and did not allow a hit until the last batter he faced, an RBI single by Troy Campos that plated Fareed Babalola to make the score 11-2. Arnoldus struck out six and walked only two. Arnoldus allowed just three balls out of the infield, two of which were fly balls caught by center fielder Ayden Louie.
The big inning for Spreckels Park was a four-run fourth. Giovanni Alvarez (3 for 4, two runs) and Arnoldus (two runs) singled and Alvarez scored on a single by Frank Carter-Castro (2 for 2, two RBI). Evan Hayne (two RBI, two runs) laced a two-RBI single to plate Arnoldus and Angelo Aguilar, who was running for Carter-Castro. Hayne came in on an error off the bat of Ayden Louie to make the score 8-0.
Spreckels Park put up four runs in the first two innings behind RBI singles by Angelo Aguilar (2 for 4, two RBI, two runs) that scored Alvarez, Carter Castro that scored Aguilar and Jacob Thurmon’s sacrifice bunt that plated Anthony Rogers. Isaias Navarro (RBI, run) came in on an error off the bat of Dante Tafoya to make the score 4-0.
Spreckels Park scored three runs in the sixth inning behind just one hit, an RBI single by Aguilar that scored Arnoldus. Three walks and two hit batters led to the other two runs for an 11-1 lead. In the seventh, Tafoya scored on a Manola Asuncion single, Arnoldus sacrificed in Devin Teicheira and Asuncion came in on an error for the final score of 14-3.
Weston Ranch loaded the bases twice with no outs and could manage just three runs out of those two opportunities. After Campos plated Babola in the sixth, Frank Hoffman came in on a fielder’s choice by Jose Ruiz to make the score 11-3. In the second inning, Trayvon Pierce scored on Adrian Lopstain’s fielder’s choice to make the score 4-1. That is as close as Weston Ranch would come.
Spreckels Spark will represent District 67 in the Section Tournament held in Tracy beginning next Friday or Saturday.
11U
Ripon 16, Mountain House 6 (4)
A seven-run second inning helped propel Ripon to the mercy-rule win Friday night at Salida Park and Ripon now advances to the championship round this morning at 10 against Northgate.
Logan Alexander (2 for 2) and Rocco Noble posted back-to-back singles to lead off the Ripon second. Ripon loaded the bases and after Mountain House walked in two runs Benji Sybesma (2 for 3, two RBI) doubled in two more and Easton Cloward (3 for 3, two RBI) followed that with a two-RBI single. Mason Dodson singled in Alexander and Noble in the third inning.
Mountain House jumped out to a 3-0 first-inning lead and Ripon answered back in the bottom of the inning to tie the game on back-to-back two-out hits by Cloward and Jessy Vega. Jesse Hernandez’s bases-loaded walk-off double in the bottom of the fourth inning invoked the mercy rule and capped a four-run inning for Ripon.
Ripon’s Hudson Rushing pitched a complete game with no walks and five strikeouts.
Ripon 10, Salida 5
Ripon notched the consolation win Thursday with great pitching, solid defense and clutch hitting.
Ripon’s Bronson Dietrich scattered four hits, giving up one unearned run while striking out six over four innings. Rocco Noble and Mason Dodson pitched 1.1 innings combined for two strikeouts, getting thru the heart of Salida’s lineup. Logan Alexander closed the game out, forcing a pop-up and a groundout to end the contest.
Bronson Dietrich was 2 for 2 with two RBI and a walk. For the fourth consecutive game Easton Cloward went 2 for 3 with two RBI. Hudson Rushing reached base four times and knocked in a run behind a hit and three walks. Gio Sandoval (RBI), Jessy Vega and Jesse Hernandez each added a hit.
Landon Viss jump started the Ripon defensive effort when he made a running catch in the left-center-field gap off of a line drive by Salida’s first batter.
