Robinwood bounces back, 7-3

Mike Sciacca, Independent

One day after dropping a tough decision to Westminster, the

Robinwood Little League Majors Division All-Star team kept its District

62 title hopes alive Thursday by eliminating Fountain Valley, 7-3, at

Robinwood.

Robinwood can attribute this victory to its offense, whose bats

finally came alive after consecutive scoring just three runs in two

previous tournament games.

“Yes, we finally are hitting the baseball,” Robinwood Manager Randy

Schauer said. “What was really satisfying about this win was that

everybody got involved. It was a true team effort, and now we get to play

at least one more day.”

It didn’t appear that way early on Thursday as Robinwood, which was

plagued by errors in a 2-1 loss Wednesday to Westminster, committed two

in the first inning that led to an unearned run as Fountain Valley opened

up a 1-0 lead.

It became 2-0 in the top of the second inning when Jessey Cordero sent

a home run over the right field fence, and Fountain Valley looked as

though it might atone for Saturday’s 2-1 opening round loss to Robinwood.

But that was about it, offensively, for Fountain Valley, which got its

two runs on four hits and a pair of walks against Robinwood starter Casey

Becker, who went three innings before being replaced by closer Devon

Ugland.

Ugland kept Robinwood in command the remainder of the way, retiring

the first six batters he faced before giving up a single to Sean Atchison

and an RBI to Cordero, each in the top of the sixth inning.

“Devon did an outstanding job,” Schauer said of his reliever. “He’s a

big game pitcher, and he came through for us today.”

Both Becker and Ugland were backed by an offense that tagged Fountain

Valley starter Josh Larson for five hits. Larson, however, had given up

just one hit in the first two innings, before yielding four in the third

as Robinwood opened up a 5-2 lead.

After falling behind 2-0, Robinwood turned the tables on Fountain

Valley by taking advantage of two errors in the second inning to get

even. They closed the gap to 2-1 on Matt Pluth’s check swing RBI single,

which fell into shallow right field and scored Brandon Gladu from third

base.

Fountain Valley’s second infield error of the inning led to

Robinwood’s tying the score at 2-2.

Robinwood took command of the game in the third inning when Cory

Kotler started the frame with a single and, one out later, Gladu,

Robinwood’s cleanup hitter, took the first pitch offered him for a home

run and a 4-2 lead.

Gray Bailey doubled after Gladu’s home run, and scored on a passed

ball to make it 5-2.

Robinwood scored its final two runs in the fifth when Daniel Jones, 0

for 2 in his previous trips to the plate, drilled a two-run home run to

center field to up the advantage to 7-2.

The triumph sets up a Saturday rematch (10 a.m.) with Westminster, the

lone unbeaten team in Area 2 competition. A Robinwood win would force a

third tournament meeting between the two teams on Sunday at noon.

The Area 2 winner will meet the Area 1 winner next Tuesday for the

District 62 championship.

Saturday’s Robinwood-Westminster showdown will be held at Robinwood.

IN 9/10 DIVISION PLAY:

Robinwood 11, Costa Mesa National 1

Robert Herron tripled, Nathan Roe and Ryan Burke each doubled, and

Kyle Buchan got the pitching win as Robinwood scored a Mercy Rule victory

and stayed alive in tournament. The win moves Robinwood into a Saturday

meeting (10 a.m.) with unbeaten Fountain Valley.

Eddie Tomasek hit a home run for Costa Mesa National.