Angels’ solid season runs its cycle

HUNTINGTON BEACH ? The two returning starters on the field from last year’s District 62 Tournament of Champions Majors Division title team did all they could to help their club advance in this year’s TOC.

But the Costa Mesa American Little League Angels, who started the season 2-3 before catching fire and winning 13 of their next 14 games, more closely resembled the early season version of themselves on Saturday.

The Angels dug themselves a nine-run hole early and couldn’t recover, falling to the Robinwood Astros, 14-5, in the quarterfinals at LeBard Park.

The play of Robinwood center fielder James Marcoly didn’t help matters. Marcoly hit for the cycle, capping off his monster day with a three-run home run to center field in the top of the sixth.

Marcoly singled in the first inning, tripled in the second, doubled in the third and walked in the fifth. He went four for four with six RBIs to lead the charge for the Astros.

“We’ve been pitching to big kids all year and it hasn’t been an issue,” Costa Mesa Manager John McLuckey said. “I figured we could get the ball by him, but he just had a great game.”

As if his contributions at the plate were not enough, Marcoly threw out a runner at the plate from center field to assist on the last out of the game.

The Astros pounded out 16 hits, including two home runs. They also benefited from seven walks.

“We had three solid pitchers this year, Anthony Dean, Tyler Sheffner and J.T. McLuckey,” John McLuckey said. “But Anthony [who started Saturday] didn’t have a lot of movement on his pitches and they waited on it and turned on it. Plus, the Astros took advantage of our errors and we didn’t take advantage of theirs.”

Two of the bright spots for the Angels were Sheffner and J.T. McLuckey, who helped Costa Mesa win the District 62 Tournament of Champions last year.

Sheffner went two for two with a solo home run and two walks. He was also solid in relief on the mound.

Sheffner took the hill with runners on second and third and two outs in the third inning and induced Emmett Ross to ground out on a comebacker.

Sheffner held the Astros scoreless for the first and only inning in the fourth.

Sheffner homered in the third inning, a one-out solo blast to right field just to the right of the scoreboard off Astros’ left-handed starter Mitchell Gilmore. It marked the Angels’ first run of the game.

Taylor Taormina and McLuckey (three for four) followed with singles. After the second out was recorded, Garrett Prather slugged a double to left-center field to drive in two runs and cut the Astros’ lead to 9-4.

The Angels pulled as close as 9-5 after adding a run in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Sheffner.

But the Astros responded with a two-run fifth inning and a three-run sixth.

McLuckey tried to start a rally by opening the fifth inning with a single to left field. But the Astros turned a nice 6-4-3 double play on a hard-hit ground ball to help quell the threat.

Taormina (two for four) had an RBI single to center field in the sixth inning. But when McLuckey singled to center field with two outs and runners on first and second, Marcoly threw out the runner trying to score from second to end the game and the season for the Angels (15-5).

“It was a great season,” John McLuckey said. “We battled and we deserved to be here. We just didn’t get the breaks we normally get.”

For most of the team, there is still baseball to be played. McLuckey said 11 or 12 kids made either the Majors, Minor A or Minor B All-Star teams.