Huntington Valley takes district title in comeback

Mike Sciacca

With its back to the wall in the District 62 All-Star Majors Division

tournament, Huntington Valley came up big.

Spotting Fountain Valley a one-game lead in the best-of-three

championship series for the district title, Huntington Valley stormed

back to win consecutive one-sided games to repeat as the district’s

kingpin.

Fountain Valley took the series’ opening game 7-3 before

Huntington Valley posted consecutive victories of 18-4 and 7-0 to

wrap up the series.

“Our kids did a fantastic job,” said Huntington Valley Manager

Nick Mazzone, whose team represented District 62 at the Section 5

Tournament, which started July 17 in Anaheim. “It was just a matter

of the kids getting comfortable. When they got to the tournament,

they had to get used to their surroundings and get rid of the nerves.

Once they settled down, they were great.”

Huntington Valley clinched the district championship with a 7-0

victory Wednesday. Ryan Little’s outstanding pitching resulted in a

complete-game two-hitter.

“Ryan was amazing out there,” Mazzone said. “He just pitched a

great game.”

Huntington Valley jumped out to a 1-0 first inning lead behind

Jullien Herrera’s home run and tacked on two more runs in the third

when Jake Little and Nick Miller each singled, setting the stage for

Houston Hill’s two-run double.

That 3-0 lead remained until the fifth, when Scott Martin all but

put the game away with a grand slam.

Huntington Valley had set up the title-deciding third series game

by rolling to an 18-4 win in a must-win situation in the second game.

Nick Mazzone pitched the first four innings for Huntington Valley and

allowed just one hit.

Both Fountain Valley runs were unearned.

Huntington Valley never trailed in the game. Martin, Hill and Zach

Michaels each delivered home runs. All but two of Huntington Valley’s

14 players recorded a hit in the game.

“Everybody contributed to this district title run, that’s for

sure,” Manager Nick Mazzone said. “There is no ‘I’ in team with this

group.”

The 2004 Huntington Valley Majors Division All-Stars are Ryan

Little, Jake Little, Nick Mazzone, Jullien Herrera, Drake Vanderpool,

Alex Talbert, Scott Martin, Houston Hill, Nick Miller, Tyler Kerns,

Michael Pellegrino, Zach Michaels, Chris Gillen and Ben Hunt.