All-Stars ready to clash

Bryce Alderton

The battle of Costa Mesa resumes today.

The Mayor’s Cup begins today for the sixth time, showcasing the

best Costa Mesa Little League has to offer in the 11- and 12-year-old

division as the Costa Mesa National Major All-Stars battle the Costa

Mesa American Major All-Stars in a best-of-three series with Game 1

today at 5:30 p.m. at TeWinkle School, the National’s home field.

Game 2 will be Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at Costa Mesa High, the

American home field, and if necessary, Game 3 will take place

Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at TeWinkle School.

Costa Mesa American holds a 3-2 overall series record. Last year

Costa Mesa National beat CM America, 4-2, in the Cup’s first

three-game series. In the third and deciding game, CM National’s P.J.

Errington clobbered two home runs for three RBIs.

Costa Mesa National Manager Bill Redding coached last year’s

National team and said there’s just as much pressure during the

Mayor’s Cup as in district All-Star tournaments.

“You want to beat the kids you know because these kids will face

each other in their high school careers,” Redding said. “It’s nice to

say you won and fortunately last year we did.”

As in All-Stars, Redding said deciding the positions of each

player during the Mayor’s Cup can be difficult since several players

who played the same position on their respective regular-season teams

find themselves alongside one another in All-Stars.

“You might have six shortstops that you have to figure out

positions for,” Redding said. “It’s not as easy as it looks. It takes

some adjustment.”

CM American Manager Scott Willson could not be reached for comment

Monday.

CM American pitchers Andy Dawson and Andrew Niles teamed up for

four strikeouts in the team’s opening-game loss to Ocean View in the

District 62 All-Star Tournament earlier this month as Cody Spoulos,

Luke Boulger, Jesse Dawson and Niles singled in the 10-2 game, with

Boulger and Dawson scoring runs.

CM National won their District 62 All-Star Tournament opener, 1-0,

but lost their next two tournament games to Huntington Valley and

Fountain Valley.

In the 3-1 loss to Huntington Valley, CM National starting pitcher

Brandon Maurer had eight strikeouts while walking only three.

Maurer will be on the hill for CM National today as Justin Long is

scheduled to start Wednesday for CM National, Redding said.

The Mayor’s Cup began in 1997, when CM American’s Tigers’ Manager

Pat Maguire asked then-CM American Little League president Kirk

Bauermeister if the two All-Star teams from Costa Mesa Little League

could play each other.

Within five days of Maguire’s inquiry and further discussions with

CM National officials, the Mayor’s Cup was born.

The winning team will be presented with the Mayor’s Cup at the end

of the tournament, and the cup will be on display during regular

season games next year.