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

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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.”