Teams set for finals

Mike Sciacca

It’s finals time at the 2005 District 62 All-Star Tournament.

Following two weeks of competition in Area 1 play at Mile Square

Park in Fountain Valley and Area 2 play at Huntington Valley Little

League, the championship series in the Majors and 9/10 divisions have

been set.

Two unbeaten teams, Robinwood and Huntington Valley, will battle

for the Majors title.

Unbeaten Ocean View and once-beaten Huntington Valley will contend

for the 9/10 crown.

The double-elimination tournaments featured district All-Star

teams from Costa Mesa American, Costa Mesa National, Fountain Valley,

Huntington Valley, Ocean View, Robinwood, Seaview and Westminster.

Majors Division

Robinwood emerged undefeated from the Area 1 side of the bracket

and host Huntington Valley came out of the Area 2 bracket unscathed

to set up a best-of-three series for the District 62 championship.

The series opened Tuesday, continued Wednesday and a third game

would be played today if needed, all at Mile Square Park.

Robinwood went through Area 1 play by defeating Ocean View (2-1),

Westminster (6-1) and on Saturday, eliminated Westminster (7-5), in

the second meeting between the teams.

Huntington Valley’s road to the championship series included wins

over Costa Mesa National (11-1), Costa Mesa American (7-0) and on

Saturday a come-from-behind victory to eliminate Costa Mesa American,

8-6.

Huntington Valley 8, Costa Mesa American 6

Huntington Valley staged a sixth inning rally Saturday to tie the

score, then went on score twice in the seventh inning to pull out the

win and eliminate Costa Mesa American in the process.

In the top of the seventh, Sam Hunt opened the scoring with an RBI

double to centerfield, Tyler Kerns brought Hunt home with a follow-up

single, and Kerns went on to score on a single by Matt Steinhaus.

Huntington Valley had trailed in the game by scores of 2-0, 3-1

and 5-3.

The winner of the Majors best-of-three series advances to the

Section 5 tournament which will be held July 22-28 at East Tustin

Little League.

9/10 Division

Ocean View rolled through the Area 1 bracket by posting wins over

host Fountain Valley (12-2), Robinwood (5-3) and on Saturday,

eliminated Robinwood, 3-0.

Huntington Valley began the tournament by posting easy wins over

Costa Mesa National (11-1) and Costa Mesa American (7-0), but hit a

snag Saturday when it suffered its first loss, 9-1, to a Costa Mesa

National team it had beaten by 10 runs 10 days earlier.

Huntington Valley earned a hard-fought, 3-1 victory from Costa

Mesa American Monday, to advance to the championship series.

The championship series began Tuesday at Mile Square Park. Games

two and three -- if needed -- would be played Wednesday and today.

The winner of the tournament advances to the 9/10 Section 5

Tournament which will be played July 22-28 at the Lakeside Athletic

Facility in Santa Fe Springs.

Huntington Valley 3, Costa Mesa National 1

Huntington Valley broke open a scoreless game by scoring three

runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to win this elimination game

Monday.

Brodie Barton was hit by a pitch with bases loaded to force home

the game’s first run, Tate Libunao came up with an RBI single and

Jake Weiser drew a bases loaded walk to force home the third run to

make it a 3-0 game.

Costa Mesa National, which defeated Huntington Valley, 9-1, two

days earlier, got a home run in the top of the sixth before

Huntington Valley closer Ryan Morrissey struck out the final two

batters to end the game.

Barton started on the mound for Huntington Valley and pitched a

standout game, giving up a single run through 5 1/3 innings.

“He hadn’t pitched the entire tournament, but you couldn’t tell,

as he just shut them down,” Huntington Valley manager Steve Bogard

said. “He pitched a great game.”

Libunao led Huntington Valley with two hits.

Another star of the game was the Huntington Valley defense, Bogard

said.

“Shortstop Billy Jackson had a great game, as did our entire

defense,” he said. “Elijah Herrera also made a bullet throw from

right-centerfield to cut down a runner at second base, and that play

stopped one of Costa Mesa’s rallies.

“Our guys came into this game with an attitude and responded with

a big win against a good, well-coached team.”

Ocean View 3, Robinwood 0

Zachary Gates pitched five innings of no-hit ball as Ocean View

eliminated Robinwood Saturday to move on to the division finals.

Casey Hayes did the damage at the plate by hitting his second

homerun of the tournament, a solo shot in the fourth inning.

Hayes also pitched the final inning to earn the save.

Grant Mayeaux remained hot at the plate as he went two for three

with a double and RBI, and Tyler Mildenberg went two for three with a

pair of doubles.

Also getting hits for Ocean View were Jake Arledge, Max Gibbs and

Chris Smith.

Robinwood got its only hit of the game on a bloop single to

shallow left field in the sixth inning.

Ocean View 5, Robinwood 3

Grant Mayeaux delivered a three-run home run to cap a five-run

third inning as Ocean View came from behind to defeat Robinwood.

Tyler Mildenberg pitched five solid innings and gave up three runs

on five hits to earn the victory.

Zachary Gates pitched a scoreless sixth inning to record the save.

Offensively, Gates went two for three, Mildenberg doubled and had

two RBI, and Jake Arledge and Ben Drolet had hits.

The defensive highlight for Ocean View came when Chris Smith’s

throw from left-centerfield to catcher Dee Atwood was on target as

Atwood laid the tag to prevent a Robinwood runner from scoring.