Northridge Loses but Will Play Its Hole Card, an Ace

The Northridge Little League 13-year-old all-star team suffered its second postseason loss Thursday night, bowing to Oak Grove Little League of San Jose, 8-1, in the Junior Regional tournament at American River College in Sacramento.

The teams play again tonight at 7, with the winner qualifying as the Western Region representative for the Junior World Series in Taylor, Mich.

Northridge will pitch its ace, Nathaniel Dunlap, who defeated Oak Grove, 11-1, Tuesday night.

Peter Tuber went the distance for Northridge, surrendering four earned runs and eight hits.

It was the first postseason loss in two years for the right-hander, one of 10 Northridge players who played on last year’s 12-year-old national championship team.

Oak Grove scored four runs in the second inning on two hits, two walks and two of the four errors Northridge committed in the game.

Oak Grove added four runs in the seventh.

Northridge scored in the third on an RBI single by cleanup hitter Matt Cassel.

Dunlap scored for Northridge and had a stolen base along with two of five hits collected by his team.