Little League baseball: Fountain Valley draws first blood

Bryce Alderton

HUNTINGTON BEACH - It’s difficult to come back from a nine-run

deficit in the first inning in any game, let alone an All-Star game where

you’re dealing with the best of the best.

But that’s just the predicament Costa Mesa National 9- and

-10-year-old Minor A All-Stars found themselves in Saturday in the

opening game of the double-elimination District 62 All-Star Tournament

against visiting Fountain Valley at Wardlow Park.

Fountain Valley sent 13 batters to the plate in the first, five of

whom smacked hits. The visitors also got some help from two Costa Mesa

errors to score nine runs, two unearned, en route to a 13-5 victory.

With the loss, Costa Mesa next plays Westminster Tuesday at 5 p.m. at

the same site.

“It’s very difficult to stake any team to a nine-run lead let alone an

All-Star team,” said Costa Mesa Manager Clint Brown. “They put the ball

in play and we made errors. We didn’t execute our plays and that was the

difference.”

Costa Mesa infielders appeared tentative in the first inning,

mishandling three ground balls, two of which they failed to charge.

“I felt a lot of nerves out there,” Brown said. “These players are

usually smooth, slick fielders. In the first, we were a little less

aggressive going to the ball and making the play. We let dribblers on the

left side turn into hits. But after (the first inning) I thought we

calmed down.”

Costa Mesa outhit Fountain Valley, 9-7, but Fountain Valley made its

hits count.

Fountain Valley’s Kyle Ball, Skyler Yap and Ryan Strachan, all

connected for hits in the first inning.

Ball hit two doubles in the first to plate three runners. Yap singled

to bring home A.J. Cardenalli and Strachan singled up the middle to drive

in Ball and Cody Morad.

Morad hit a two-run home run in the fourth, which upped Fountain

Valley’s lead to 11-2.

Brown stuck with his starting pitcher, Eusebio Castillo for the entire

six-inning game and was pleased with his effort.

“(Castillo) kept throwing pitches to get ground balls like I told him.

He threw a good ballgame,” Brown said. “We should have been out of the

(first) inning way before nine runs. A first inning like that is tough on

any pitcher.”

After a 39-pitch first inning, Castillo made only 61 pitches the rest

of the game, using no more than 16 in an inning. He had four strikeouts

and three walks.

Fountain Valley Manager Steve Ball said he prefers to bat first to get

his hitters going.

“Sometimes you want to start off as a visitor to get runs and get

comfortable,” Ball said. “After that first, all I was looking for was to

hang on to the lead. (Starting pitcher Tyler Buckles) pitched a great

game.”

Buckles also went the distance, allowing five runs (two unearned)

while striking out four and walking seven.

Costa Mesa had runners on base in every inning, and might have scored

more runs if it hadn’t been for two spectacular defensive plays in the

fifth.

Costa Mesa first baseman A.J. Roth was robbed of a hit by center

fielder Patrick McGinn, who charged a shallow fly ball then made a

diving, backhanded catch.

After a Ryan Burns’ single and an RBI single by Eusebio Castillo to

plate Bryan Maurer, Fountain Valley second baseman Ryan Strachan dived to

his left to scoop up Daniel Carter’s grounder and threw from his knees to

first for the second out, saving a run. Buckles struck out the next

batter to end the inning.

“Offensively we put the ball in play and made contact when we had to,”

Brown said.

Brown was especially pleased with his players’ aggressiveness with two

strikes.

“They shortened up (on the bat), moved up in the box and made contact

on two-strike counts,” Brown said. “That counts as outstanding hitting in

my book.”

Seven Costa Mesa players had at least one hit to help cut into the

lead. The locals scored two in the first, one in the fifth and two in the

second.

Center fielder Sean Anderson singled twice and had one RBI and Ryan

Burns also singled twice.

Catcher Chase Harrison had an RBI double in the first and scored two

runs, while Bryan Maurer went 1 for 3 with a single and a walk and scored

twice.

A.J. Roth smacked an RBI double that one-hopped the fence in

left-center field in the sixth and Jeremy Jeranko ripped a single to left

in the fourth.

Ryan Baselo walked twice and scored a run while Coleman Brown walked

and William Evans swung the bat hard in his only plate appearance.

Kevin Kiser played a strong second base. He caught a pop fly for the

second out in the fifth, then ended the inning by ranging to his right to

backhand a grounder and throw to first.