Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Photograph by George Sakkestad

Expos baserunner Kellen McBain is tagged out by infielder Darien Hirotsu of the Padres in the Los Gatos Little League championship game. The Padres beat the Expos 4-1 to clinch the title.

Padres clinch championship

Schiefelbein, Wallace toss Padres to title

By Dick Sparrer

"Spahn and Sain, and pray for rain."

It was the tandem of Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain that made the Boston Braves of the late 1940s contenders in the National League pennant race. So a poetic sports writer of the era joined the two together in rhyme, since they joined together so impressively to make up the most potent one-two pitching punch in all of baseball.

But in Los Gatos this year, the call was "Schiefelbein and Wallace, and..."

Well, it wasn't nearly as poetic, but the result was just as effective for the Padres this season in the Los Gatos Little League.

Because Bryan Schiefelbein and Carter Wallace made up a powerful one-two pitching force for the Padres--powerful enough to lead the Pads to the major division championship.

Schiefelbein would toss the first three innings, and Wallace would fire the last three. And the strategy proved effective enough to help the Padres post a 16-2 regular season record and a 4-0 mark in the league playoffs.

The Padres finished first in the regular season, then cruised through the playoffs, clinching the championship with back-to-back wins over the Expos.

Schiefelbein and Wallace combined for a four-hit shutout in a 5-0 win over the Expos in the winner's bracket final, then the two teamed to toss a three-hitter in a 4-1 win over the Expos in the championship game.

Schiefelbein fanned six in his three-inning stint in the title game, but it was Wallace who came through with the outstanding mound performance. Wallace struck out eight in three innings of no-hit pitching to help the Padres nail down the title.

It was a three-run rally in the third that broke the game open for the Pads--and it all happened with two outs.

Schiefelbein was aboard with two outs in the home half of the third when Adam Crane walked. Wallace drilled a two-run double, and Patrick Murphy followed with a run-scoring double to give the Padres a 3-1 lead.

The Pads picked up an insurance run in the fifth when Crane doubled and scored on a single by Murphy.

Murphy finished the day with three hits.

The Expos had actually taken the early lead in the title game with a run in the first. Nick Nino reached on an error, and Ryan Daily singled. Kyle Schafer and Chris Danser each walked to force home a run.

The Padres had dropped the Expos into the tournament's loser's bracket with a 5-0 win a week earlier.

Schiefelbein fanned four and Wallace whiffed six as they each tossed three innings of shutout baseball.

The Padres broke a scoreless tie with a run in the third when David Pavicich doubled and scored when Darien Hirotsu reached on an error.

That was all Schiefelbein and Wallace needed to nail down the win, but the Pads picked up four insurance runs in the fourth nonetheless.

Hirotsu slapped a bases-loaded single to drive in two runs in the four-run rally. Hirotsu had two hits in the game for the Padres.

Schafer had two hits for the Expos in the game.

The Padres, who opened the tournament with a 6-3 win over the Rangers, had beaten the Indians 7-3 earlier in the week.

Once again, it was Schiefelbein and Wallace tossing three innings apiece for the winners. Schiefelbein struck out five in his stint, and Wallace fanned six.

A two-run double by Crane and a run-scoring single by Murphy keyed a three-run rally in the sixth for the Padres. Murphy had three hits for the winners.

Jacob Anderson blasted a solo homer in the first for the Indians.

The Expos beat the Cubs twice on their way to the league championship series.

Nino and Daily fired three innings each in a 5-2 win over the Cubs.

Daily's single sparked a two-run rally in the second, and the Expos picked up two more in the third when Jeff Oleson doubled, Kellen McBain singled and Matt Martini doubled.

Oleson and Daily had two hits apiece for the Expos.

The Cubs ended the shutout with two runs in the sixth. Danny Politi singled, Travis Howell walked and Aaron Goldfarb singled both of them home.

Daily tossed four shutout innings, and Nino finished up with two innings of solid relief in a 3-1 win over the Cubs.

The clubs were locked in a scoreless tie heading into the fourth when the Expos picked up two runs. Oleson was hit by a pitch, then scored on a double by Danser. Martini followed with a run-scoring double.

Daily blasted a solo homer in the fifth for the Expos.

Daily was three-for-three for the Expos, and Danser had two hits.

Ken Rodrigues had two hits for the Cubs, and Politi doubled.

The Cubs blanked the Yankees 5-0 and beat the A's 7-2 in other tournament games.

Politi and Brent Millen tossed a three-hit shutout in the 5-0 win over the Yanks.

A run-scoring single by Howell, an RBI double by Millen and a two-run single by Rodrigues sparked a four-run rally in the first for the Cubs.

Howell blasted a solo homer in the second and finished the day going three-for-three. Rodrigues had two hits and Politi doubled.

Michael Robards had two hits for the Yankees.

Howell went the distance to pick up the mound win in the 7-2 victory over the A's. Howell struck out 15 in the win.

Singles by Goldfarb and Gus Winkleman and a double by Politi were key hits in a five-run second inning rally for the Cubs.

Derek Tam doubled for the A's.

The A's were coming off of back-to-back wins over the Giants and Indians.

The A's rallied for seven runs in the sixth to pull out an 11-3 win over the Giants.

Adam Nelson clubbed a two-run homer in the first. Bret Roberts had two hits and scored three runs, Tam singled and doubled, and Luke Alioto had two hits.

Alex Rollin homered for the Giants and Eric Rollin and Trevor Campbell each slapped run-scoring singles. Matt Finelli doubled.

The A's scored four runs in the sixth to pull out a 9-6 win over the Indians. Singles by Tam, Geoff Hubbard and Greg Trobbe were big hits in the game-winning rally.

Tam had three hits and scored three runs, and Nelson had three hits in the win. Trobbe added two hits.

Anderson blasted a two-run homer for the Indians, and Andrew O'Gorman laced a two-run single. David Holtzman had two hits and scored twice. Nathaniel Henry also drove in a run with a two-out single.

In other tourney action, the Yankees beat the Rangers 11-1 behind the pitching of Nik Kay and Robards. Kay also doubled twice and singled to drive in four runs in the win, and Robards had two hits and scored three runs.

Steven Whitham was three-for-three and scored four runs in the win. Jason Livingstone had two hits, and Matt Rose doubled.

James Gentry and Anthony Burks each doubled for the Rangers.

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