Bronco All-Stars make way to Monterey

The Fountain Valley Youth Baseball Bronco All-Star team came into

the PONY World Series on a hot streak, and they continued on that role by

winning their first two games of the double elimination tournament last

weekend in Monterey.

Fountain Valley opened play against the host team, Monterey, and came

away with an impressive 13-2 victory. Fountain Valley jumped out to a

quick 3-0 lead, only to see Monterey score two runs of its own in the

bottom of the first inning to narrow the deficit to 3-2. But from then

on, the Fountain Valley pitching staff of Chad Blauer, Garrett Leon, Jake

Mahlstedt, Jeff Roth, and Thomas Marcin, combined to hold Monterey

scoreless, and gave up eight hits while striking out nine.

Fountain Valley’s offense was paced by Mahlstedt, who went 4 for 5,

Roth, who finished 3 for 5, Dean Otsuka, 3 for 4 with three RBI, and

Jason Croswell, who went 2 for 3 with a home run. Cameron McMullen, Kyle

Mastel, Ryan Stehle, and Dustin Aoyagi also figured in Fountain Valley’s

run production.

Sean Bridges and Branden Lawson also saw action, and Brett Nagel made

his first All-Star appearance since suffering an elbow injury prior to

the start of postseason tournament play.

Fountain Valley was equally as impressive in its second game, a 6-0

triumph Saturday night over Forest Hills of Florida. Roth set the game’s

tone with a leadoff home run, although the score would stay 1-0 until the

top of the seventh inning.

Stehle doubled home Otsuka for the first of Fountain Valley’s five

runs in the inning. Marcin doubled home a pair of runs with at triple,

and Roth, much the way he started the game, concluded the scoring by

hitting a two-run home run.

Mahlstedt was credited with the pitching win after limiting Forest

Hills to a single hit while striking out four in five innings pitched.

Roth and Marcin finished the game and combined for just one hit, while

striking out five.

With the two victories, Fountain Valley has now won 21 of its last 22 games.

Fountain Valley advanced to the PONY World Series by rallying to

defeat West Hills, 4-2, in last week’s Zone Tournament title game at York

Field in Whittier.

Joining Fountain Valley, Monterey, and Forest Hills in Monterey are

teams from Illinois, North Carolina, Marina (Monterey area), Taiwan, and

Puerto Rico.

Tournament play continues through the weekend.

“It’s hard to say how this (tournament) will turn out because there a

bunch of good ballplayers, and a lot of good teams,” Fountain Valley

Manager Myke McMullen said. “But, as far as I’m concerned, with the way

our team has been playing, I think the other teams need to beat us.”

McMullen is right: by beating Monterey and Forest Hills to open up its

bid for a World Series title, Fountain Valley has won 21 of its last 22 games. The Bronco All-Stars are attempting to win the division title for

the first time since the mid-1980s, McMullen said.

Fountain Valley’s third tournament game of the week will be against

defending World Series champion, Taiwan.