Page 6 June 6, 2019 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
Sports from page 5
Ryder Leach Leads Thunder
to Double-A Title
With the Thunder’s theme song “Thunderstruck”
blaring throughout the game, the team
played perhaps its best game of the season. It
came at the right time with a 4-3 win over the
Lake Monsters. The Thunder wasn’t pegged
to advance to the championship game because
it was the fifth-seeded team out of seven, but
the players persevered.
The Lake Monsters took an early 1-0 lead in
the first inning when Crew O’Connor singled
and later scored on an RBI double by Declan
McRoberts. In the third inning, the Thunder
figured out the Lake Monster pitching staff.
Nickolas Gerbrands led off the inning with
a walk and later scored on an RBI single by
Ryder Leach. Connor Pratt singled and Leach
took third and then scored on a ground ball
by Lucas Keldorf to make it 2-1.
The Lake Monsters responded with two runs
of their own. O’Connor singled, Cole Huie was
hit by a pitch and McRoberts walked to load
the bases. Benji Rayburn and Cameron Quinnan
each worked the count for RBI walks and the
Monsters took back the lead 3-2.
In the final inning, Keanu Kranke and Travis
Berman each drew walks to start the rally.
Kranke would score the tying run on a ground
ball by Logan Meyer to even the score at 3-3.
Leach’s sharp RBI single scored Berman to
give the Thunder a 4-3 lead. In the bottom
of the inning, Keldorf came in to strike out
the side and give his team the championship.
The happy, frenzied celebration that followed
was punctuated by Thunder manager Mickey
Meyer getting drenched with a container of
water by his players.
Chase Mattoon’s Hitting
and Pitching Lead Cardinals
to Championship
In the Triple-A championship game there
was excitement, drama and a near comeback,
but the Cardinals held off the Dodgers 9-7.
The Dodgers were the favorite going into
the playoffs because after all they were the
top-seeded team that had plenty of offensive
power throughout the lineup. The Dodgers
had outscored their opponents 189- 142 and
led the league in hitting.
The Cardinals, who were seeded third, got
hot at the right time to advance through the
playoffs. They ended up in the championship
game against a team they had lost to three
times during the regular season. But in the
playoffs, the tides turned and the Cardinals
defeated the Red Sox and Dodgers to get to
Championship Saturday.
The Cardinals scored three first inning runs
to race to a 3-0 lead. Chase Mattoon walked,
stole second and third base and scored on a
passed ball. Rishi Nair mirrored Mattoon by
also walking and then later scored on a wild
pitch. Joey Schobel also walked and scored
on a wild pitch. The Dodgers took advantage
of an error and passed ball to score in their
half of the first inning. Dylan Stenberg reached
on an error and later scored on a passed ball
to make it 3-1.
In the fourth inning, the Cardinals extended
their lead to 7-1. Brayden Vanek had an RBI
double that scored Nair. With his speed, he
would later score on a passed ball. Two other
walks to Schobel and Jonny Novelo also
resulted in runs scored by each.
The Dodgers’ potential for a big fourth inning
took a detour. Stenberg hit a sharp grounder to
third base, but the ball was overthrown to first
base and he then raced towards second base.
When he saw that Cardinal first baseman Dash
Pimentel was having a difficult time locating
the ball, Stenberg rounded second base and
headed towards third. Pimentel found the ball
and fired a strike to Novelo at third base for
the out. Gio Blanco singled and scored on an
The Cardinals defeated the Dodgers to win the Triple-A championship.
The Thunder pose after winning the Double-A championship a 4-3 win over the Lake Monsters.
RBI single by Bryant Waites. Noah Davis’ RBI
single scored Mateo Valentino to make it 7-3.
The Cardinals added a run in the fifth
inning on Mattoon’s RBI single that scored
Braxton Burke, and then another in the sixth
inning when Cade Maechling’s ground ball
brought home Schobel. In the sixth inning, the
Dodgers’ comeback attempts came up short.
Carson Rollins, Stenberg, Blanco and Davis
each had hits and ended up scoring to make
it 9-7. The rally came up short when Schobel
got a strikeout for the third out to give the
Cardinals their improbable championship title.
RJ Puffer Powers Dodgers to
Major Division Title
The Dodgers finished third in the standings
during the regular season, so reaching
the championship game was thought to be a
longshot. With the Dodgers’ late-season surge
and the Angels with an impressive pitching
staff as well as an imposing hitting lineup, it
made for a great title game on Championship
Saturday. The Dodgers held on for a 5-3 win
to capture their second title in three years.
The Dodgers are led by one of the top
hitters and pitchers in the league. RJ Puffer
is a hard-throwing right-hander with good
control. He’s also a feared hitter who has
home run power. He lifted his team to the
title by starting and throwing two innings
of no-hit ball while striking out four. His
two-run home run in the third inning, after
Shane Mossman was hit by a pitch, gave the
Dodgers a 2-0 lead. The lead extended to
3-0 when Ethan Plouff doubled and scored
on Hudson Arthur’s RBI single. In the fifth
inning, the Dodgers added to their lead. Sean
Mossman tripled and scored on a double steal.
Puffer, who was hit by a pitch, also scored
on a double steal to make it 5-0.
The Angels’ offense struggled all game long
against Puffer to start and Sean Mossman who
finished up. They did cut into the deficit in the
fifth inning when Porter Robbins and Vinny
Baldino each singled. Jake Croxall’s ground
ball to the right side scored Robbins and Eli
Stephens’ RBI single scored Baldino to make
it 5-2. The Angels’ comeback in the sixth
inning came up short. Benjamin Lee doubled
to start the inning and scored on an RBI single
by Robert Cantu to make it 5-3. The Dodgers
held off the Angels with an easy ground ball
and a strikeout to finish the game.
Jim O’Conner Wins
Nate Chittick “Phenomenal
Coach” Award
This award goes to a manager or coach
who best exemplifies the spirit of placing
fun and development above competition. It
considers someone who teaches, encourages
with respect and integrity and shows a passion
for the game and the players he or she is
coaching. Out of all the nominees by players,
other coaches and parents, Jim O’Conner of
the Double-A Lake Monsters was named the
league’s second annual Phenomenal Coach
of the Year.
Another fantastic regular season is in the
books, capped off by Championship Saturday.
There were three teams crowned, but all
players playing El Segundo Little League
were winners. •
Five-year-old Charlotte Groendal sang our National Anthem that The Major Dodgers capped Championship Saturday by defeating the Angels 5-3.
brought tears and chills to many of the 300 fans in the stands.
City Council from front page
The consent agenda contained an item
increasing the fee waiver for the El Segundo
Run for Education from 50 to 75 percent,
saving the El Segundo Council of Parents
and Teachers over $6,000 in the process.
The move came after staff met with event
organizers to review and update the scorecard
used to determine the level of City subsidy.
Councilmember Don Brann voted against
the item, but only because he preferred to
see the entire fee waived.
During reports, Mayor Drew Boyles received
unanimous support from his colleagues on
an item to allow adults over 21 to bring and
consume alcohol at Library Park during the
four upcoming Sunday Concerts in the Park
events (3-7 p.m.). He pointed out that attendees
bring alcohol anyway and staff has reported
no major past incidents resulting from consumption
during the concerts. Boyles added
that the City of Manhattan Beach allows
spectators to bring and consume alcohol at
Polliwog Park for its own summer concerts
with no significant issues.
In a second item brought forth by Boyles,
the Council members directed staff to prepare
letters of opposition to six pending Assembly
and Senate bills related to housing and
accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Planning
Manager Gregg McClain provided an overview
of each bill, which would hinder local
control in these areas. The most concerning,
he said, is SB13 (passed by the Senate and
now in Assembly), which “incentivizes the
conversion of garages” and “encourages
bootleg units.” If passed, the new law could
prevent the City from enforcing building
safety codes for such units for up to five
years. McClain noted that the bill in its current
from is “very confusing” and will make
it difficult for building inspectors.
Meanwhile, AB 881 would allow ADUs to
be in existing garages and remove El Segundo’s
requirement for owner occupancy for five
years. AB 68 would allow a second “junior”
ADU on a property if the main one is attached
and also allow ADUs on multi-family lots. SB
330 aims to declare a statewide housing crisis
and would prohibit the City from imposing
more than 0.5 parking spaces per unit for
new residential structures. AB 1279 hopes
to determine high-resource areas (HRAs)
and permit up to four units per lot within the
development envelope of a single family zone
and thus spike density levels. “A good chunk
of the city would be in an HRA,” McClain
said. AB 1763 would increase the minimum
density bonus to 80 percent for projects that
are 100 percent affordable housing. McClain
emphasized that each of the bills are “moving
targets” that continue to undergo revisions
and there is still time before a final outcome.
Finally, City Manager Greg Carpenter
announced that City Hall will be open every
Friday starting in about a month. It is
currently open every other Friday. Staffing
will alternate to keep employees in the 9/80
workweek format. •