District 62 Tournament of Champions:
Bryce Alderton
COSTA MESA - Clouds blanketed the sky and the wind blew briskly
from left to right as the flags beyond the fence in right field wiggled
Thursday afternoon at Costa Mesa High for a first-round District 62
Tournament of Champions game.
Perfect conditions for the Costa Mesa National 9-10 year-old Dodgers
to use their strategy - hitting the ball to the right side.
The Dodgers (17-6), hit loopers and liners into the air nine times
into right field, all but three times for hits, in their 10-1 win over
the Robinwood Little League champion Mariners, which pits them against
the Costa Mesa American champion Yankees at noon today at Costa Mesa
High.
“We (hit to the right side) intentionally, especially when we have
runners in scoring position,” said Dodger Manager Clint Brown. “It’s a
longer throw for the outfielder and the runner is more likely to score.”
With the brisk wind blowing from left to right across the outfield and
in toward the hitter slightly, balls hit into the air sometimes came
straight down in shallow right field in front of a charging right
fielder, or stayed in the air longer, letting the wind carry them
wherever it may.
Brown’s strategy worked as the Dodgers batted in five runners when
hitting the ball skyward into right-center or right field. Of the six
Dodger hitters to collect hits to the right side, four scored.
Dodgers’ starting pitcher Eusebio Castillo and reliever Eric Mickelson
hit fly balls into right field all three of their at-bats, with Mickelson
collecting three RBIs and Castillo one. Both players also scored a run.
Not to be outdone was the Dodgers pitching and defense, whichlimited
the Mariners to one run (unearned) on two hits.
From the opening pitch, Dodger infielders shouted how many outs were
left in an inning and often yelled words of encouragement to each other.
In the sixth inning, first baseman Danny Derieg even shouted at
Mickelson to pitch inside on a hitter.
Brown teaches the importance of communication to his team.
“I’ve been teaching (communication) since day one,” Brown said. “I’m
big on the idea of self-talk and then they can talk to others. It’s so
they know what to do when the ball comes to them. It really pays
dividends.”
Two plays epitomized the Dodgers’ attention to the fundamentals.
After a leadoff single in the second, Castillo raced straight ahead
off the mound to field a bunt and immediately threw to second base to get
the force out, still leaving the chance for a potential inning-ending
double play.
In the fourth inning and leading, 8-0, Mickelson caught a comebacker
to the mound and threw to first for the force out. The run scored, but
left the bases empty for the next hitter, who grounded out to Derieg at
first base.
Pitching did the rest.
Castillo and Mickelson each pitched three innings with four strikeouts
apiece and no walks. Brown selected Mickelson to be his 12th man on the
roster for TOC.
Dodger hitters did the rest, scoring three runs in the first and third
innings and two runs each in the fourth and fifth.
In the bottom of the fifth, one of the more entertaining innings,
third baseman Joshua Erno got jammed, but the ball hit the edge of the
infield grass and skirted to the right of the second baseman for an
infield hit. Erno’s hit sent Coleman Brown, who had singled to right to
open the inning, to third.
After a flyout for the second out, Mickelson hit a liner toward the
charging right fielder who reached down but the ball sneaked under his
glove and rolled past him, plating two runs.
During the play, Mickelson rounded second and momentarily stopped
halfway between second and third, but then committed to third as the
third baseman fielded the throw and tried to apply the tag. Mickelson
squirted left past the third baseman’s outstretched arm, and was safe at
third.
Erno finished the day 2 for 3 with two singles, two RBIs and two runs,
while Mickelson went 2 for 3 with three RBIs and a run scored. Castillo
went 1 for 2 with a double, run scored and hit a towering sacrifice fly
to right field in the third inning.
Preston Schow singled twice, scored a run and had an RBI, and Daniel
Degree walked, singled, scored twice and had an RBI. Daniel Derieg
rounded out the Dodgers’ hitting attack with a ground-rule double over
the fence in right-center in the fourth.
Luke Roberts walked twice, once with the bases loaded in the fourth
for an RBI, and also scored a run.
Nicholas Iorfino (run scored) and Alec Fuller had the only hits for
the Mariners.
Iorfino struck out the side in the second, the only inning the
Mariners didn’t allow any Dodger runs.
The Yankees now await the Dodgers Saturday. The two teams split their
two regular-season meetings according to Brown.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Brown said.
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