Valley of champions
It was 30 years ago that a Huntington Valley Little League Majors
Division team last won a District 62 All-Star tournament championship
banner.
Fast forward to 2002 and Huntington Valley secured its first
district All-Star title since 1972 last week by defeating a talented
Robinwood squad, 4-2, in the second game of a best-of-three
championship series played at Huntington Valley.
Huntington Valley won the series opener, 10-4.
“The kids did a great job, especially on the mound and on
defense,” Huntington Valley manager John Parmenter said. “Robinwood
has a great lineup and was a really intense hitting team. If you
can’t shut them down with pitching and defense, then they will beat
you.”
Right-handed pitcher Shawn Stiffler went the distance on the mound
for Huntington Valley. The 5-foot-7, 190-pound 12-year-old scattered
four hits and struck out eight.
Clayton Prestridge collected two hits to lead the Huntington
Valley offense.
In their 10-4 win in the series opener, Race Parmenter recorded
the win with a nine-hit, nine-strikeout effort, which included
striking out the side in the fourth and fifth innings.
Robinwood had taken a 3-2 lead after 3 1/2 innings -- the big
blow being Tyler Rinker’s two-run home run. But Huntington Valley
blew the game open in the bottom of the fourth inning by scoring
eight runs.
“They are a good, fastball hitting team,” Parmenter said of
Robinwood. “You need to make the plays in the field if you hope to
beat them.”
Down one run, Huntington Valley got its fourth inning rally going
by batting through its order.
The rally included two hits and three RBI in the inning by Justin
Draeger, two hits and an RBI by Trevor Briggs, a two-RBI ground-rule
double by Parmenter and a key, two-RBI double to the wall by
Prestridge that put Huntington Valley ahead to stay.
Stiffler contributed a two-RBI single and Pablo McBeth finished
with two hits.
The victory advanced Huntington Valley to play in this week’s
Sectional tournament, which it also will host.
The double-elimination tournament includes five teams vying for
the title.
“This will be an awesome experience for the kids,” Parmenter said.
“It’s the next stepping stone toward a possible spot in the Western
Regional tournament.”
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