Ocean View’s magical run ends

SAN BERNARDINO --- Minutes after such a special run came to an end Thursday night, members of the Ocean View Little League 9-and-10-year-old All-Star team were smiling.

They said they’ll remember the fun of staying at a hotel together in-between games. They will also remember the joy of getting to the Little League Sub-Division III South championship game. In a year when few thought they could make a return journey to that point, Ocean View won District 62 and Section 10 titles.

“We really didn’t think we would win sectionals,” said third baseman Justin Cianca. “I mean, our goal was to win the district. It was hard for us to get past sectionals.”

But what Rancho San Diego will ultimately remember is moving on to the Division III championship in the 9/10 age-group for the second straight year. And again it was Ocean View on the losing end, 11-0 in five innings this time at the Newmark Little League field.

It was too similar to last year for Hagen Danner and Nick Pratto. The only two holdovers from last year’s squad made it to the same Sub-Division tournament, against a Rancho San Diego team that returned five from last year’s squad.

Same tournament, same team and same result, even after being up, 3-0, against Rancho San Diego in Wednesday’s game. But Ocean View’s lead slipped away, 4-3 in eight innings, and Rancho San Diego came out focused on Thursday.

“It just sucks,” said Danner, who played catcher Thursday.

Added Cianca: “We thought we would win. Every time we lost [to Robinwood in district play and South Mission Viejo in section play], we mercied the team in the next game.”

Rancho San Diego, the Section 7 champion, instead broke open a scoreless game Thursday by scoring five runs in the third, the key hit being a three-run homer to left by shortstop Nick Allen. That came while pitcher Pratto was clearly frustrated, after an error behind him and a walk.

“I tried to focus, but my mind was just everywhere,” Nick Pratto said. “It’s OK. We’ll get them next year.”

Allen, whose father, Tom, manages the club, finished three for four with two doubles and six runs batted in.

Tom Allen said the plan was to be patient at the plate, driving up Nick Pratto’s pitch count with Ocean View’s other top pitchers Danner and Anthony Martinez unavailable to pitch. And Rancho San Diego did walk five times, while Ocean View didn’t walk once against Rancho starter Brock Mosier, who shut down the OV bats for much of the contest and finished with five strikeouts.

In the top of fifth, Nick Allen came out of nowhere into shallow left field to rob Danner of a bloop single. And, in the bottom of the frame, Allen ended the game with a bases-clearing double to center. Then, he made sure Rancho San Diego wouldn’t lose to Pratto, like when he gave Rancho San Diego its only postseason loss, 2-0, on Monday.

“Nick Allen is possibly the best defensive shortstop in Southern California,” Ocean View Manager Jeff Pratto said. “I don’t know any other 10-year-old that will make that play [on Danner’s ball].”

But the Ocean View kids also knew they had no reason to hang their heads.

“The kids played at a high level for about a month and a half,” Jeff Pratto said. “It’s a great run they had. District 62 champs, Section 10 champs, you can’t argue with that. And, you know, we lost to the defending Sub-Divisional champions.”

Zeke Ziegler, Cianca and Nick Pratto all doubled for Ocean View; Pratto finished the tournament 13 for 15 with a home run and five doubles. Martinez and Steven Kotkosky added singles, but Ocean View stranded five runners in scoring position.

Rancho San Diego moves on to the Division III championship – essentially the Southern California 9/10 championship – which begins Saturday night.

“Everything played out the exact same way as last year,” Tom Allen said. “[Ocean View] had two great pitchers last year and they had two great pitchers this year. We just did everything we could. We threw extra [batting practice] with some guys and I think that turned our bats around.”