Fountain Valley moves closer to title

Fountain Valley Youth Baseball’s Bronco All-Star team is just one

win away from securing a spot in next week’s 2000 PONY World Series in

Monterey.

Fountain Valley took a step closer to that dream by defeating West

Hills, 5-2, Thursday at York Field in Whittier, and in the process, ran

its win streak to 18 games.

The two teams will meet again today in the double-elimination

tournament. One more win sends Fountain Valley to Monterey, while West

Hills will need to defeat Fountain Valley twice in order to advance to

the World Series.

Fountain Valley opened up a 1-0 lead in its first at-bat when Chad

Blauer drove home Garrett Leon, but West Hills retaliated with a single

run in the bottom-half of the inning. Both teams posted single runs in

the second inning, with Thomas Marcin scoring Cameron Mc Mullen for

unbeaten Fountain Valley.

Following a scoreless third inning, Fountain Valley began to take

command when Marcin scored Jake Mahlstedt in the fourth, and in the

sixth, Mahlstedt knocked in Kyle Mastel.

Jeff Roth’s solo home run in the seventh inning iced the victory for

Fountain Valley, which also received key hits from Jason Croswell and

Ryan Stehle.

Roth, Marcin, and Leon provided pitching for Fountain Valley, and the

trio surrendered six hits.

Roth struck out five and gave up three hits and a pair of runs in

three innings pitched, Marcin struck out three and allowed just one hit

in three innings, and Leon closed out the effort by striking out one to

go along with two hits in the seventh inning.

In earlier tournament action, Fountain Valley has defeated Palmdale

(15-2) and Corona (5-1).