Page 6 July 26, 2018 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
Local Little League Teams Advance
Story and Photos by Gregg McMullin
Two El Segundo Little League (ESLL) allstar
teams survived elimination games and went
on to win their respective age group Section 4
Little League all-star tournaments. The ESLL
11-12 and 9-10 teams came through the loser’s
bracket to win their tournaments and are playing
in the Little League Southern California
all-star tournaments this week. These are the
only remaining El Segundo baseball teams playing
after the ESLL 11s lost out in the District
Tournament, the 13, 14 and 15 all-star teams
each fell in the Babe Ruth state tournament
and the American Legion team was eliminated
early in their district tournament.
11-12s’ Power Leads
to Section 4 Title
The ESLL all-stars have opened some eyes
with their home run power surge. They hit
seven homers against Riviera Little League in
the Little League Section 4 championship game
in their 11-5 win to advance to this week’s
Little League Southern California championship
tournament.
ESLL faced Riviera for the third time after
losing to the District 37 winners 10-6 and
winning the first elimination championship
game. In the third game that would propel the
winner to the Little League Southern California
all-star tournament, ESLL blasted seven home
runs off three pitchers in the win.
If you were trying to find a parking spot
or were standing in the concession line and
didn’t see the first inning, you missed out on
ESLL sending nine players to the plate and
scoring six runs on six hits -- including three
home runs. Dylan Immel singled and Lucas
Bonham unloaded on a 240-foot blast to
centerfield for a 2-0 lead. Three batters later,
Holden Coulter hit a three-run home run near
the spot Bonham’s shot landed for a 5-0 lead.
Mateo Heredia followed Coulter and stroked
a 1-1 fastball over the left field fence for a
solo home run to give El Segundo a 6-0 lead
before Riviera had even taken a swing. Riviera
countered with a run on Mathew Espinosa’s
RBI single. El Segundo starter James Baldino
cut Riveria’s rally short by striking out the
next two batters.
In the third inning with El Segundo leading
6-1, Dylan Alcala, Baldino and Coulter hit
back-to-back-to-back solo home runs with each
landing just a little further than the other. Not
to be outdone, Bonham continued his torrid
hitting by smacking a two-run homer after Immel
had doubled to lead off the fourth inning
for an 11-2 lead. Riviera added three runs in
its half of the fourth inning, highlighted by
Daniel Orlando’s two-run homer, to cut the
lead to 11-5 and conclude the scoring.
The victory sends El Segundo to the Little
League Southern California all-star tournament,
with the winner advancing to the Little League
Western Regional tournament. This marks the
third time since 2010 that El Segundo has
advanced this far. The other two were 2010
and 2011.
In the Southern California all-star tournament
opener, El Segundo faced Conejo Valley Little
League -- the 2004 Little League World Series
United States champions -- in the first round.
The first-game jitters didn’t come into play as
El Segundo used a seven-run second inning to
help defeat Conejo Valley 13-5. Bonham had
three RBIs, while Brett Abitante and Baldino
each had two RBIs to pace the offense.
El Segundo faced Parkview Little League on
Tuesday in hopes of advancing to the winner’s
bracket final tonight. Parkview is no stranger to
getting this far in all-star competition. It won
the 2009 Little League World Series.
9-10s Rally to Win Section 4
All Star Tournament
The 9-10 ESLL all-stars had to play five games
in five days to advance. They came through the
loser’s bracket to win the Section 4 tournament
and advance to the Little League Southern California
all-star tournament this week in Corona.
Having split the first two games in the Section
4 Tournament, El Segundo faced an uphill
climb in the loser’s bracket. Lincoln Quaintance
started and Jamie Owens and Ryan Wiacek
limited Torrance Little League’s offense. ESLL
used a six-run sixth inning to advance. The
big rally in the last inning was highlighted
by Logan Brooks, Giovanni Blanco and Jake
Danford each getting RBI singles.
Reaching the Section 4 Tournament final
against West L.A. Little League meant facing
a familiar squad that had given them ESLL its
only all-star loss of the summer. In the first
elimination contest, EL Segundo would exact
some revenge with a 1-0 shutout to force a
championship game.
El Segundo had various opportunities to
score, but came away with the only run it would
need. The offense was led by Quaintance and
Chase Mattoon with two hits apiece. Joaquin
Wagner-Bagues started for ESLL and gave up
just one hit over five innings. Brooks notched
the save with a perfect sixth inning. The pitching
Logan Brooks picked up the win in the Section 4 championship game.
was backed up with great defense that
turned two double plays between Brooks at
short stop and Jordan Slavens at second base.
The outfield play of Spencer Osborne, Andre
Sugden, Owens and Wiacek chased down fly
balls destined for hits.
In the championship game, ESLL used a
gutsy pitching performance from Quaintance
and Brooks along with great defense and timely
hitting to win 4-2. El Segundo had an opportunity
to have a big first inning when Wiacek,
Brooks and Wagner-Bagues each singled. El
Segundo settled for two runs, highlighted by
Quaintance’s sacrifice fly.
With El Segundo leading 2-0, West L.A.
tied the game in the third inning. Will Rosen
singled and scored on a sacrifice fly by James
Tronstein. Nicolas Derwin, who had walked,
scored on an error to even the game at 2-2.
Then with the infield playing in, Tyler Baker
hit a sharp ground ball to ESLL first baseman
Cole Knupfer, who quickly threw to the plate.
West L.A.’s Kyle McKnight, who was on third
base and running on contact, was tagged out
by Wagner-Bagues on a close play at the plate.
El Segundo took the lead in the sixth with
a two-run inning. Wiacek and Brooks each
came up with RBI singles to give ESLL the
4-2 lead. West L.A. made it interesting in its
final at-bat. Jackson Thom led off with a single.
Two batters later, Austin Jenkins was aboard
on a single. Rosen drew a seven-pitch walk to
load the bases. Brooks got Derwin to chase a
third strike and McKnight hit a game-ending
ground ball to Knupfer to give El Segundo
the 4-2 win.
Wiacek, Brooks, Wagner-Bagues and Slavens
led the offense with two hits apiece, while
Blanco and Danford picked up singles as El
Segundo banged out 10 hits.
El Segundo advanced to the 10-team Southern
California Little League 10U all-star tournament.
For ESLL, it started Sunday and runs through
this Saturday at Corona National Little League.
El Segundo fell to Huntington Valley 8-4 in
the opening game of the Southern California
Little League State Finals in Corona.
Huntington Valley came out quickly, scoring
three runs in the top of the first. Mattoon
came in to pitch in the second inning, holding
Huntington Valley scoreless until the fifth. In
the top of the third, Osborne reached base
on an error and Slavens walked. However, El
Segundo was unable to capitalize. ESLL battled
back in the top of the fifth when Brooks hit
a line drive that the centerfielder misplayed,
turning into a triple and scoring Wiacek from
first base. In the fifth, Huntington Valley’s
bats came alive again with another four runs
to make it 8-1.
In the sixth inning, Blanco and Danford each
singled. Osborne and Jaiden Rico drew walks
before Wiacek hit a hard grounder to third
that was overthrown to first base. El Segundo
came up with three runs in the sixth, but left
the bases loaded and came up short. ESLL
played Tuesday in an effort to stay alive in
the loser’s bracket. It fell 8-4 to Huntington
Valley in the opener and will need to battle
each day in the loser’s bracket. The winner
of this tournament would face the Northern
California champion to determine the Little
League 10U California state champion. •
El Segundo poses with the championship banner.
James Baldino hit one of seven home runs by El Segundo in the Section 4 championship game. El Segundo Little League all-stars show off their Section 4 championship-winning smiles after defeating Riviera 11-5.