District 62 TOC: Indians ambush Diamondbacks

Bryce Alderton

COSTA MESA - A total team effort.

Those were the words Robinwood Little League Indians Manager Ted

Rinker used to describe his team’s 17-hit outburst Monday in a 13-2

Majors Division victory over the Costa Mesa National Diamondbacks in the

first round of the District 62 Tournament of Champions at Costa Mesa

High.

“We definitely brought our offensive game,” Rinker said of his league

champions (19-2). “It was a well-rounded effort.”

Indians leadoff hitter Cody Stroud opened the game with a single,

stole two bases and scored the Indians first run on a wild pitch.

Catcher Tyler Rinker, who would hit a two-run home run in the fifth

over left-center-field fence, walked, stole two bases and also took

advantage of a wild pitch to score the Indians second run in the first.

The runs kept coming in the second as the Indians had four consecutive

hits, including singles by Chris Shea and Buddy Huber, an RBI double by

Stroud, as well as an RBI single by center fielder Brian Frattali, to

increase the lead to 5-0. Huber’s hit was a looper that dropped about a

foot inside the foul line in shallow left field.

“I wish I had an excuse but I don’t,” said D-backs Manager Bill

Redding. “They played super and we didn’t. We hit it right to people. I

give all the credit to Robinwood. They were aggressive. At the TOC, you

have to be on top of your game and if you’re not, they’ll jump on top of

you.”

The Indians’ quick start was aided by three Diamondback wild pitches

and two errors in the first two innings.

The D-backs scored their only two runs with one out in the third, as

Riley Hart connected on an 0-2 pitch to send the ball sailing over the

fence in left-center field for a two-run shot. The blast scored Ryan

Redding, who had reached when Huber bottled his hard-hit grounder to

third.

Aside from Hart’s home run, Buchan allowed no other damage. Buchan

struck out nine, fanning the side on 12 pitches in the fourth. He

scattered five hits and did not issue a walk.

Hart pitched two innings in relief of D-back starter Brandon Maurer.

Hart struck out two.

Maurer went 1 for 3 with a single and also struck out two in his two

innings on the mound.

Ryan Redding, who had two hits, pitched the final two innings for the

D-backs.

With the bases loaded and one out in the second, D-back catcher Chase

Harrison alertly fired the ball to third baseman Eddie Tomasek, who

tagged out Stroud as he slid head-first trying to get back to third.

Tomasek, who was called up from the Cardinals to complete the D-backs

12-player roster -- per TOC rules -- singled sharply to left field in the

sixth.

Troy McClanahan had the fifth D-back hit, beating out a squibber in

front of the plate in the first.

“We were thrilled to be in the TOC, but we’re disappointed,” Redding

said.

Monday’s offensive outburst is uncharacteristic of the Indians

according to Rinker.

“We had a 10-game winning streak during the season and, in those

games, we didn’t score more than two or three runs a game,” Rinker said.

“It’s a good thing to see that the offense came to play today. We just

take it a game at a time, an inning at a time.”

A quick start eased some early butterflies for the Indians,

particularly after seeing some of the taller D-back players, Rinker said.

“I told them, ‘Hey, it doesn’t matter how big they look. Just go out

and play hard,’ ” Rinker said. “It’s easier to play hard when you come

out like we did in the first couple of innings.”Though the D-backs’

season ended with Monday’s loss, four players, as well Manager Redding,

will now represent the league’s second-place finisher on the CMNLL Majors

All-Star team, which begins practice today.

D-backs Ryan Redding, Hart and Maurer will join the elder Redding on

the Majors All-Star squad, while Harrison joins Manager Clint Brown’s

Minor A (ages 9-10) All-Star team.

Robinwood plays either the Costa Mesa American champion Yankees or

Westminster Saturday at 9 a.m. at Costa Mesa High.