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Saratoga Sports
Orioles win District 12 TOC minor title By Dick Sparrer It may have come in a minor tournament, but there was a major accomplishment for the Orioles of the Saratoga Little League this summer. The O's of Saratoga's AAA division rolled to three straight wins - outscoring opponents 45-6 in the process - to win the District 12 minor division Tournament of Champions (TOC) title, the second straight year a Saratoga club has taken the crown. The Orioles earned the TOC berth by going undefeated in the league's season-ending tournament, Saratoga rolled to wins over Los Gatos (18-2), Cambrian Park (11-0) and Lincoln Glen (16-4) to clinch the TOC top spot. The Orioles jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the finals, rallying for four runs in the second inning on six consecutive hits by Taylor Trah, Alex Rumbaugh, Jeff Butler, James Hulme, Brandon Morales and Andrew Lee. Lincoln Glen answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning, but Orioles hurler Scott Thoren struck out the final hitter of the frame to stop the threat. Then in the fifth inning, Saratoga broke things open with a 12-run rally. Every one of the Orioles reached base in the inning, including Henry Springall, who was playing only his second game since returning from an injury. Mike McGinnis came on to pitch the bottom of the fifth for the O's, who closed out the championship win in the five innings because of the 10-run rule. It was the third such win of the tournament for the Orioles, who are managed by Colin Morales. His coaches were Jim Trah and Jim Hulme. Saratoga had opened the tourney with a rousing 18-2 win over rival Los Gatos. The Orioles sent 13 batters to the plate in the first inning to take a quick 10-0 lead. Morales and Thoren tossed Saratoga to the win, and Rumbaugh came through with a defensive gem in center field. Rumbaugh, Michael McGinnis, Alec Wilde, Ethan Mulberg and Michael Fox had two hits each in the Saratoga win. The Orioles made short work of Cambrian Park a game later to earn their place in the title game. Cambrian was unbeaten in league and tournament play, and took a 23-0 record into the TOC semifinal game. The O's scored a run in the first, three in the third, four in the fourth and three in the fifth to cruise to the 11-0 win. Morales tossed the shutout for the Orioles, facing just 19 batters in the win. Rumbaugh in center and catcher Taylor Trah made key defensive plays as the O's played errorless baseball in the game. McGinnis singled and tripled in the win for Saratoga, and Morales, Trah, Rumbaugh, Thoren, Wilde, Hulme and Butler also had hits.
Morales went on to manage the Saratoga 10-year-old all-star team in the District 12 tournament, and the locals rolled to a third-place finish. Saratoga, champs in the division a year ago, posted a 4-2 record in the tourney, losing a 2-1 heartbreaker to Lincoln Glen to face elimination. Matt Morales and Grant Thomas teamed to toss a no-hitter for Saratoga in a 10-0 win over American to open the tournament. Saratoga had opened the 10-year-old division last year with a no-hitter in a win over Los Gatos. Will Sparks and Vinnie Carstens combined to flip a two-hit shutout for Saratoga in a 9-0 win over Union a game later, but the locals lost 10-5 to Los Gatos to slip into the loser's bracket. Saratoga beat Branham Hills 7-3 and Union 8-0, but lost to Lincoln Glen 2-1 a game later. Lincoln Glen went on to lose to Los Gatos in the finals. Sparks, Kyle Miller, Thomas and Morales were offensive leaders for Saratoga in the tourney. The locals outscored their opponents 40-25 in the six games and posted a team batting average over .300. Daniel Polini and Parker Smith supported offensively. Andrew Lee, Michael McGinnis, Taylor Trah and Chris Rea were solid defensively for Saratoga, and Tony Lewis contributed as well. Colin Morales managed the team with help from coaches Jim Trah, Ron Lewis and Tim Sparks. 8-year-olds The Saratoga 8-year-old all-stars joined the minor division Orioles as district champions, winning four straight games to claim a tournament crown. It was the second straight year Saratoga had won the title in the division. Saratoga blanked Union 5-0, Los Gatos 18-0 and Cambrian Park 12-0 before beating Almaden 4-1 in the tourney title game. A double by Colin Johnson and single by Kia Fariba, Sumner Vogel and Justin Morris keyed a three-run rally in the fourth as Saratoga stormed out to a 4-1 lead in the championship game. Georgie Ellenikiotis was the winning pitcher for Saratoga, and Neil Bruner came on in relief in the sixth to get the save. Bruner struck out the side in the final frame, getting the third strikeout with the bags loaded and the potential go-ahead run at the plate. Ellenikiotis and Bruner combined for 13 strikeouts in the 5-0 win over Union to open the tourney. Bruner threw three perfect innings for Saratoga in the win. Johnson ripped a home run for the winners, and Vogel and Troy Doles were singled out for their aggressive base running. Saratoga rallied for seven runs in the first inning and rolled from there to an 18-0 win in five innings against Los Gatos. Hits by Morris, Doles, Johnson, Bruner, Vogel, Dominic Guercio, Will Dennis and Kyle Penuen sparked Saratoga to the win. Ellenikiotis, Johnson, Vogel, Kai Kirk and Bruner combined to pitch the shutout. Saratoga made it three straight a game later. The outfield play of Luke Singer, Jimmy Castellanos and Michael Lauck helped the locals to a 12-0 win over Cambrian Park. Tony Ellenikiotis and Mike Bruner were the co-managers of the 8-year-old all-star team, and Dan Doles was the coach. Major division The Saratoga major division all-stars opened district play with a loss to host Branham Hills, but the locals fought back to beat Union in the loser's bracket. Saratoga was eliminated from postseason play, though, when it lost to Los Gatos last Wednesday. 11-year-olds The Saratoga 11-year-old all-stars were eliminated in two games at the district level. The locals lost to Almaden and Union to face a quick exit from the tournament. |
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