Big D, OV get Big W, tourney title

Mike Sciacca, Independent

All the formalities are over, not that there was any doubt, really,

as to the outcome of the 2000 District 62 All-Star Majors Division

Tournament.

It clearly belonged to Ocean View.

Wednesday night on Huntington Valley Little League’s Inspiration

Field, Ocean View’s dominating run through district play came to an end

with its lowest scoring victory in postseason play, a 4-1 victory over

Westminster.

The win gave Ocean View a two-game sweep of Westminster in the

best-of-three series, which began Tuesday with a 9-1 Ocean View triumph.

Ocean View will represent District 62 in this weekend’s Sectional

Tournament, which gets underway Saturday at Huntington Valley Little

League.

Ocean View will meet the District 29 winner, Cypress, in a 10 a.m.

start.

“We’re very happy to be moving on,” Ocean View Manager Hank Conger

said after his team took a lap around Inspiration Field, holding the

district banner high for all to see. “This entire team had a hand in

winning this tournament, from top to bottom. This really is a team

victory.”

It was, but it took a familiar bat, that of leadoff hitter, Hank

Conger, to put Ocean View in control Wednesday.

Westminster pitcher Thomas Phelps had kept Ocean View off-balance

through the first two innings, but Conger got to the big right-hander

when he started the third inning with a home run to center field for a

1-0 Ocean View lead.

That’s where the score stood until the fifth, when, with one out,

Conger took an 0-1 pitch (the same count he faced on his first home run)

and drilled a home run well beyond the center field fence, making it 2-0.

The two homers gives Conger 23 on the season.

From top to bottom, though, Ocean View did some damage, as No. 9

hitter, James Kang, all but cemented the victory when he sent a two-out,

two-RBI single down the right field line to put Ocean View on top, 4-0,

in the top of the sixth.

Westminster did get a home run from leadoff hitter Tony Gutierrez off

Conger, Ocean View’s closing pitcher, in the bottom of the sixth, but

Conger got two of the next three batters to strike out to end the

tournament.

Ocean View received an outstanding pitching effort from Dallas

Walters, who threw five innings despite feeling ill prior to the game.

The right-hander didn’t allow a run, gave up just three hits, and

struck out 10, including striking out the side in the fourth inning.

Walters faced his stiffest challenge in the game in a scoreless second

inning, when he gave up a leadoff double to Phelps, who moved to third

base on a passed ball. But Walters buckled down and struck out the next

three batters to frustrate Westminster.

Challenged again in the third inning when he surrendered consecutive

one out singles to Gutierrez and Brice Cutspec, Walters managed to get

out unscathed when teammate Greg Gonzalez made a nice catch of a fly ball

on the run in right field, and then catcher Scott Melchert threw out

Gutierrez as he attempted to steal third base.

“I thought Dallas gave a gutsy pitching performance,” Yun Conger said.

“To no feel well and throw like that against a good hitting Westminster

team, says a lot about Dallas’ ability.

“Offensively, I thought Scott (Melchert) and James (Kang) had some big

hits and overall, I felt we did a good job hitting against Phelps.”

In addition to his two home runs, Hank Conger also singled and drew an

intentional walk. Second baseman Jeff Van Doornum also finished with a

pair of hits, and Melchert, Tomas Yoo, and Jeff Mollica all singled for

Ocean View.

IN THE 9/10 DIVISION FINALS:

Fountain Valley 3, Ocean View 0

One day after coming back from a four run deficit to pull out a 7-6

victory, Fountain Valley wrapped up the District 62 title Wednesday by

blanking Ocean View, 3-0, in a tight game at Huntington Valley Little

League.

Fountain Valley scored one run in the third inning and tacked on two

more in the fifth as Geoff Feltman, Jason Gorman, Chris Martinez, and

Gordon Edwards came up with key hits.

Kevin Smisko recorded the pitching victory for Fountain Valley.

Kyle Hughes and Mickey Moses both doubled for Ocean View, and Hughes

also pitched a solid game.