Crescent Bay Advisors moves on in AAA playoffs

Crescent Bay Advisors forced a winner-takes-all showdown for the AAA Division tournament championship by defeating UPS Store, 10-5, in Laguna Beach Little League postseason play at Riddle Field on Wednesday.

CBA, which won the division’s regular season title, rallied from a 5-1 deficit in the fifth inning to earn the win. The division final is set for 4:15 p.m. Wednesday at Riddle Field.

CBA had reached Wednesday’s division final by winning two elimination games in the past week. On Saturday, CBA rode a strong pitching performance by Nicholas Lucas, timely hitting by Lucas, Nolan Naess and Caden Capobianco and the play at third base by Noah Linder to earn a 6-0 victory over Morgan Stanley

On Monday, CBA took on Zero Trash and emerged with a 7-3 win. Pitchers Nate Magers (CBA) and Booker Frith (Zero Trash) were in a 2-2 battle before CBA broke the game open by scoring five runs in the bottom of the fifth. Will Clark, Naess and Will Potratz had big hits in the inning. Johnny Phelan scored twice in the game and Nolan Smith closed the game and retired the final five Zero Trash batters.

Jack Payne had two hits for Zero Trash.

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AA Division

Gapp 9, Modern Alloys 7: In a thriller that went to the wire Saturday, the score was tied (6-6) heading into the last inning when Gapp scored three runs to take a 9-6 lead. Alloys fought back with a run and had the bases loaded. Alloys’ Natasha Sorenson crushed a full-count pitch, but Gapp’s Trevor Price made an outstanding fielding play to record the out at first base and end the game.

The game included strong pitching performances from Jamie Mackay, Quinn Novick and Oliver Mackel of Alloys, and Ashten Rea, Ryan Magers and Trevor Price for Gapp.

Gapp Moves on to play hot-hitting McKenna Audi for the division tournament title.

In other playoff games:

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Majors Division

•Hobie 15, Sportsworld 1

VFW 4, Rotary 1

Rotary 4, Sportsworld 3

Hobie 4, VFW 1

VFW 5, Rotary 2

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AAA Division

Zero Trash 6, American Legion 5

UPS Store 8, Morgan Stanley 1

Zero Trash 12, Crescent Bay Advisors 5

Morgan Stanley 13, American Legion 8

UPS Store 15, Zero Trash 7

Crescent Bay Advisors 6, Morgan Stanley 0

Crescent Bay Advisors 7, Zero Trash 3

Crescent Bay Advisors 10, UPS Store 5

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AA Division

Gapp 20, Bushards 17

McKenna Audi 16, Modern Alloys 9

Modern Alloys 9, Bushards 8

McKenna Audi 11, Gapp 1

Gapp 9, Modern Alloys 7

McKenna Audi 11, Gapp 5