Will Goldbeck 77 Special To The Record | Posted: Wednesday, July 16, 2003 12:00 am
7/16/03 With a Central California Senior Babe Ruth Baseball State championship under their belt, Lompoc/s 18-19-year-olds are off to the Pacific Southwest Regionals, which begin on July 25 in Woodland.
Manager Carlos Garcia/s Lompoc squad captured the Central California State title Tuesday night in Kingsburg, defeating Orange Belt of Porterville 11-8 in the championship game of the eight-team, double elimination tournament.
Lompoc shortstop Isaac Simmons, whose three-run homer capped a five-run outburst in the top of the first inning, was named the tournament/s Most Valuable Player.
"We were the visiting team the whole time," said Garcia. "We jumped out to a lead in every game. We just banged them."
Joining Simmons on the all-tournament team were second baseman Mike Terrones, first baseman Tino Estrada, catcher Jason Green and outfielder-relief pitcher Max Holt.
After trailing 5-0, Orange Belt battled back to tie the championship game at 5-5 in the bottom of the fifth inning on a two-run homer by losing pitcher Doug West off winning pitcher and Lompoc starter Ruben Solorio.
Terrones, who had an on-base percentage of .650 in the tournament, reached on an error with one out in the top of the sixth and eventually scored the go-ahead run on a single by Brooks Garcia. Nate Mendoza struck out but reached on a wild pitch. The wild pitch scored Terrones, who went to third on a passed ball. Scott White/s two-out single closed out the three-run rally.
Lompoc added two more runs in the top of the seventh after Brett Jenkins was hit by a pitch and Brooks Garcia walked. Mendoza/s hot shot past first base scored Jenkins while Garcia later scored on Estrada/s ground out.
Holt gave up two hits in the bottom of the seventh but also struck out three batters, including Benjamin Chavez to end the game.
"Our offense was the difference in the tournament," said Garcia. "We hit the ball well. Our pitching was also excellent. We brought seven kids as pitchers and used all seven. They did a heck of a job."
Lompoc opens the Pacific Southwest Regional Tournament in Woodland on July 25, facing the Arizona champion in the 5:30 p.m. game that night.
Central State 13s
Bullard 2, Lompoc 1
Taylor Koontz, Evan Nelson and Brian Albritton took care of business for Bullard as the Fresno team eliminated Lompoc in the Central State 13-year-old Babe Ruth tourney at Elks Field in Santa Maria Tuesday evening.
Koontz, who started, and Nelson, who relieved in the fourth, combined to strike out 11 Lompoc batters, giving up seven hits and walking two.
The Bullard batsmen did not exactly clobber Lompoc/s Ryan McGinty, who tossed six innings, and Russ Anderberg, who pitched the seventh. Bullard also collected only seven hits and got nary a walk. McGinty struck out two. "That was the trademark of this team," said Lompoc manager Tom Harmon of his District 6 champions. "We stayed competitive with good pitching 77 very good control."
Lompoc took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Chris Mallory singled and wound up scoring on Casey Owen/s fielder/s choice.
In the second Bullard evened it as Albritton/s double drove in Nelson, who had been hit by a pitch. Then in the fifth Albritton doubled again and scored on Koontz/ single.
On the game, Mallory had a double and two singles to pace Lompoc at the plate. "He had a great tourney," said Harmon.
Daryl Aguilar and Kevin Harmon each had two singles and McGinty added a single to the local cause.
In the other game at Elks Field, Visalia stayed unbeaten with a 4-0 job on Bel Passi of Modesto.
District 65 Little League
Orcutt American 7, SM Northside 5
At Orcutt American/s Joe Nightingale Field, the Orcs kept their Williamsport hopes alive by beating Santa Maria Northside and pushing this tourney to today/s If Game at 5.
Will Goldbeckis the Sports Editor of the Selma Enterprise and Kingsburg Reporter. Alan Hunt of the Lompoc Record also contributed to this story. Hunt can be reached at 736-2313, ext. 107 or alhunt@pulitzer.net