American all-stars play in District 44 tournament
By DICK SPARRER
Williamsport, Pa., is the destination. And with a little luck and a lot of good baseball, that trip could begin at the Kennedy Sports Complex in Cupertino.
Williamsport is the home of the Little League World Series, and young baseball players across the country are beginning play this weekend with sights set on an August trip to that event.
Cupertino and Sunnyvale teams entered the District 44 major division tournament this weekend with hopes of advancing to the World Series.
It all starts June 28 when District 44 defending champion Campbell Little League open the tournament against Cupertino American Little League at the Kennedy Sports Complex (off Bubb Road and Hyannisport).
A day later first round play continues when Moreland and Santa Clara Westside collide at Sunnyvale Southern, and Sunnyvale National and Sunnyvale Metro meet at Moreland in a pair of 11 a.m. games. Sunnyvale Southern tangles with Mountain View at 2 p.m. Saturday at Moreland.
A day later, Briarwood-El Camino takes on Los Altos at 1 p.m. and Sunnyvale Serra meets Santa Clara Homestead at 3 p.m. in a pair of games at the Campbell Little League field.
Tri-Cities and Cupertino National each get a first-round bye, then join the tourney on July 2. Tri-Cities meets the Campbell-Cupertino American winners at Santa Clara Briarwood and Cupertino National challenges the Sunnyvale Serra-Santa Clara Homestead winner at Sunnyvale Southern in two 5:30 p.m. games.
The major division finals are set for July 18 at Kennedy.
9-10 Division All-Stars
The 9-10 age division all-stars will begin District 44 tourney play June 28 when defending champion Sunnyvale National battles Mountain View at 5:30 p.m. at Kennedy.
In other first round games include:
June 29--Los Altos American vs. Tri-Cities, 11 a.m., at Moreland; Cupertino American vs. Moreland, 2 p.m., at Moreland; and Sunnyvale Southern vs. Santa Clara Homestead, 2 p.m., at Sunnyvale Southern;
June 30--Briarwood-El Camino vs. Los Altos Hills, 1 p.m., at Campbell; and Campbell vs. Sunnyvale Metro, 4 p.m., at Campbell.
Cupertino National and Santa Clara Westside each receive first round byes, and will open tourney play on July 2. Cupertino National takes on the Briarwood-El Camino-Los Altos Hills winner at Campbell, and Santa Clara Westside battles the Sunnyvale National-Mountain View winner at Santa Clara Briarwood. Both games begin at 5:30 p.m.
The 9-10 division finals are set for July 18 at Santa Clara Briarwood.
Major Division TOC
Four teams were left heading into play on Monday, but only two will remain for the District 44 Major Division Tournament of Champions finale on June 26, 5:30 p.m., at McKelvey Park in Mountain View.
The Sunnyvale Metro Dodgers were to battle the Santa Clara Westside Cubs and Murdick Trucking of Campbell was to face the Briarwood-El Camino Cardinals in semifinal games on Monday with the winners advancing to the finals.
The Dodgers opened the tourney with impressive back-to-back wins, beating the Santa Clara Homestead Marlins 8-1 and crushing the Sunnyvale Southern Orioles 14-0.
Manan Mehta was 4-for-4 with a homer and two doubles to lead the 13-hit attack for the Dodgers in the win over the Orioles. Mehta ripped a two-run homer in the third and finished with the day with four runs-batted-in.
Brandon Scripps crushed a solo homer and doubled to knock in three runs for the winners. Jeff Dunning added two hits and Jesse Casellini crushed a three-run homer in the first.
Casellini was also the pitching star for the Dodgers, firing a three-hit shutout in the four-inning game. He struck out nine in the win.
The only threat the Orioles could muster came in the second when singles by Bryan Silverman, Nick Miluso and Greg Griffith loaded the bases. But Casellini worked out of the jam with a strikeout and an infield roller.
The Sunnyvale Southern Orioles had opened the tourney with a tight 7-6 win over the Tri-Cities Braves.
The Braves scored a pair of runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game 6-6, but the Orioles broke the tie in the bottom of the frame to pull out the win.
Ben Verstegen scored the game-winner for the O's in the sixth. Verstegen beat out a bunt single to open the inning, moved to third on a passed ball and wild pitch, and scored on an errant pickoff attempt.
David Velasquez had three hits to drive in two runs for the Orioles and Brandon Dougherty had three hits and knocked home one. Verstegen was 2-for-2 in the win and Bryan Silverman singled and doubled.
Velasquez tossed the final three innings to pick up the pitching win. Dougherty had thrown the first three.
Ziz Tepman was tagged with the pitching loss despite striking out six over five-plus innings.
Tepman had a big day at the plate for the Braves, with three hits to drive in five runs. Michael Colby was 3-for-3 and Bill Jg had two hits for the Braves. Tepman cracked a two-run homer in the third.
Tepman knocked in the tying runs in the sixth for Tri-Cities. Michael Vance, who reached on a fielder's choice, and Cliff Vanni, aboard on a walk, scored on Tepman's single.
The Cupertino American Marlins lost a tough 5-2 nod to the Briarwood-El Camino Cardinals in first-round action.
James White drilled a solo homer to left-center in the third and Dave Guthrie singled and scored on a double by Joe Alvarez in the fourth to account for all of the Marlins' scoring.
White and Nick Epidendio teamed to toss a four-hitter for the Marlins, but four unearned runs in the first proved costly.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, June 26, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.