Saratoga, California Since 1955
Saratoga Sports
|
Orioles win Saratoga major title But Cardinals win tourney, go to TOC 
Cardinals shortstop Ardie Jahanian waits with
the baseball as Jared Bernstein of the Los
Gatos Cubs slides into second. The Cardinals
lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to the Cubs in the
District 12 Tournament of Champions.
By Dick Sparrer It took a thrilling 7-6 victory over the Indians to do it, but the Orioles won the regular season major division championship this season in the Saratoga Little League. It was certainly a win that didn't come easy for the O's. They trailed the Indians 6-3 after five innings, and they entered the sixth and final inning needing three to tie and four to take the lead. They went for the four. The four-run rally in the top of the sixth started with one out. Matt Barnes and Kevin Tsao worked back-to-back walks and Ben Mariani beat out a bunt single to load the bases. Vinnie Caloiaro walked to push in a run and Michael Leonardi followed with a clutch two-run single to center to tie the game. With runners on the corners, the Orioles pulled off a double steal, Leonardi getting caught in a rundown so that Caloiaro could score from third with the game-winning run. Johnny Ellenikiotis took the mound and shut down the Indians in the bottom of the sixth, and the Orioles had the 7-6 win and the division championship. The Indians had taken the early lead in the game when Sam Scudellari and Sean Casserly each scored runs in the first. A single by Ellenikiotis drove home Thomas Carine with a run for the Orioles in the third, but in the bottom of the frame Casey Farmer scored on a triple by Scudellari. Jay Henderson scored on a two-run homer by Cody Anchondo in the fourth, and Farmer scored again in the fifth to give the Indians the 6-3 lead. That just set the stage for the Orioles' big comeback. Left-hander Mark Kroenung led the defensive charge for the O's in the outfield, along with Tsao, Greg Metz, Carine and Barnes. The infield was anchored by Caloiaro at shortstop, Matt Morales at second, Michael Guercio and Eric Bruner at third and Leonardi and Ellenikiotis at first. Mariani was the catcher and the pitching staff included Ellenikiotis, Leonardi, Barnes, Bruner and Morales. Offensive leaders for the Orioles were Leonardi (.510 average, 20 runs-batted-in, 25 runs and 44 stolen bases), Ellenikiotis (.492, 21 RBIs, seven doubles and five triples), Carine (.483, 19 RBIs, one homer), Mariani (.489, 19 runs, 22 stolen bases, and Caloiaro (27 runs, 22 stolen bases). The league tournament took a different turn in the major division, though. The Cardinals beat the Astros 11-2 and the Indians twice, 17-1 and 5-3, to move on to the District 12 Tournament of Champions (TOC). At the TOC, the Cards dropped a 1-0 heartbreaker to the Los Gatos Cubs. Chris Lee slugged a three-run homer for the Indians and Spencer Sutterlin recorded eight strikeouts to lead the Cardinals to the 5-3 win over the Indians in the finals of the league tournament. Mackenzie Pridham tripled and Jack Allen, Thomas Reynolds and Patrick Sweeney had two hits each in the title game as the Cards fought back from a 3-0 deficit for the 56-3 win. Shortstop Ardie Jahanian and outfielders Alex Bierach and Austyn Carta-Samuels came through with solid defensive plays for the Cardinals in the title game. Closer Kyle Guengerich came on to strike out the side in the last inning to help secure the win for the Cardinals. Nithin Kumar and Aaron Huck were other members of the Cards squad. Final regular season major division standings: Orioles 17-6, Cardinals 14-8, Astros 11-12, Rockies 11-12, Indians 5-16. AAA division The Astros won the regular season championship and the Orioles won the tournament in Saratoga's AAA division this season. The Astros put together a 16-3-1 record to take the regular season title in the division, and they did it with "solid defense, timely hitting, with steady and at times overpowering pitching," according to league reports. "This team practiced hard and came ready to play every game," said coach Shelley Smith. "Our players made a commitment early in our season to work for a trophy, and it paid off." A key point in the year for the Astros was a clutch 6-0 win over a strong Indians team that clinched the title for the squad. Pitchers Gibran Meza and Kevin Smith and closer Ricky Nakatsu handled the mound chores for the Astros, with Daniel Polini, Ross Kuntz, Nick McConnell and Nikhil Sheel providing solid defense. Zach Jacobs, Andy Scott, Justin El-Diwany, Bryan Dean and Alex Wokas were offensive leaders for the champs. But in the league tournament it was the Orioles pulling out a 10-8 win over the Astros in the title game. The O's rolled up a 10-0 lead, then held on as the regular season champs battled from behind to score eight runs, only to come up two short. The Orioles went to work in the second. After a walk to Alec Wilde, singles by Taylor Trah, James Hulme and Alex Rumbaugh got the O's on the scoreboard. Jeff Butler cleared the bases with a blast to right center. Hits by Ethan Mulberg and Michael Fox scored Butler; then hits by Brandon Morales and Andrew Lee plated two more runs to make it 7-0. Shortstop Michael McGinnis and pitcher Morales made key defensive plays in the first, and the Orioles held off the Astros in the second to hold the lead. The O's offense went to work again in the third. Singles by James Hulme and Rumbaugh got things going; then Butler singled home two more runs to up the lead to 9-0. The Astros loaded the bases in the bottom of the third, but Morales worked out of the jam by getting one hitter to pop to Scott Thoren and another to ground out to McGinnis. The Orioles took a 10-0 lead with a run in the fourth, and then the Astros came fighting back. Nakatsu and El Diwany each singled, and two walks and an error allowed three runs to score. Scott Thoren struck out two to get out of the inning, and the Orioles held a 10-3 lead. Nakatsu came on to pitch for the Astros and struck out the side in the fifth; then his club went to work again. Kundtz walked and scored on a single by Polini. Nakatsu walked and El Diwany reached on a fielder's choice, allowing Polini to score. Sheel singled and El Diwany eventually scored to cut the gap to 10-6. Nakatsu struck out the side again in the sixth to keep the game close. McConnell walked and Smith followed with what appeared to be a hit up the middle. But Andrew Lee made a fine play to get the force at second for the Orioles. Andy Scott walked and a couple of wild pitches allowed two more runs to score to make it 10-8. But McGinnis, now the Orioles hurlers, struck out the final hitter on four pitches to nail down the win and the tournament championship. AA Division The Cardinals had a different plan of attack in the AA division of the Saratoga Little League. The Cards won the regular season title, then backed that up with a championship in the tournament to win both league crowns. The Cards rolled through the regular season with a 16-2 record. Pitchers Georgie Ellenikiotis and Teddy Felch provided the one-two punch for the Cardinals in their championship campaign. Speedster Christopher Guengerich, line-drive hitting Tim Lycurgus and power hitting Gregory Johnson and Ray-Young Tsao led the offense for the champs. Tim Coggins was an outstanding bunter for the Cards, and Kyle Borch and Reese Matsuura were solid base runners. Outfielders Brandon Campbell and Mike Martinyak and catcher Kevin Chapman were defensive standouts for the club. The Cards backed up their regular season championship with three straight wins in the league tournament. The Cardinals wrapped up the championship with an 11-3 win over the Orioles in the finals. Ellenikiotis struck out the side in the first; then the offense when to work. Guengerich, Lycurgus and Ellenikiotis each singled to load the bags. Johnson was hit by a pitch to push across a run before Tsao cleared the bases with a double. But the Cards weren't finished yet. Coggins tripled home Tsao, then scored on a single by Felch to complete a six-run rally. The Cardinals went out to an 11-0 lead before ultimately winning 11-3. Lycurgus added a triple in the game, Felch singled home another run and Matsuura, Campbell, Martinyak and Borch also drove in runs. Chapman was solid behind the plate for the champs. Every member of the team reached base in the win for the Cardinals. The three tournament wins helped the Cards win a dual championship in league play and post a 19-2 season record. Farm division Final Saratoga Little League farm division standings: Reds 17-2, A's 16-4, Blue Jays 14-6, Mets 11-8, Rockies 10-9, Cardinals 9-11, Marlins 8-12, Indians 8-12, Orioles 6-12, Astros 4-16. |
Feedback, or story ideas for the Saratoga News?
(Close this Window to go back to our home page.)
Copyright © SVCN, LLC. Maintained by GoGuys, Inc.