With just seven innings played in the District 10 Tournament, the Madera American Little League 8-12-year-old All-Stars advanced to the championship game.
The M.A.L.L. All-Stars battled the winner of Riverpark and Selma who played Thursday, and have to beat Madera American twice.
Madera American defeated Madera National, on Monday, and Selma, on Wednesday, by a combined 27-1. Because of the win, manager Steve Gallegos is still able to use his ace, Eli Vela for the title game.
“I’ve been through he mill. I’ve seen it all. It helps out,” said Gallegos, who has been an All-Star coach for the past 20 years at different levels. “A lot of the coaches step in for about three years, so it’s hard to understand all the rules. I think I have the upper hand on most coaches.”
Vela tossed two innings in both games. He allowed a run on three hits with nine strikeouts. He threw 34 pitches on Monday and 35 on Wednesday, which requires a one-day rest, so he will be available Friday.
Madera American took advantage of Madera National mistakes for a 12-1 win Monday. Both teams had two hits each, but Madera National committed nine errors that accounted for eight unearned runs.
Against Selma, Madera American scored 15 runs to walk-off the game in the third. However, they only had seven hits, but drew 11 walks for a 15-0 win.
“Baseball is a game of percentages,” Gallegos said. “You have to learn how to put the puzzle together. We’re putting the puzzle together. These kids are hard workers and they want to get to that next level. Every time they step onto the field, they want to work to get on TV. They want it.
“I have a good coaching staff (Armando Cantu and Daniel Olivas). They know exactly what I’m thinking, and are always on the same page with me. When I’m not able to make it to practice, they run it like normal. It’s important to have good coaches helping. The other day, I was wearing a 2007 All-Star shirt, and my coach, Armando’s, name was on the back. I didn’t realize I was that old.”
Madera American 15, Selma 0
In the first inning, it looked like Selma was going provide Madera American a challenge.
Selma loaded the bases with two singles and an error with one out in the top of the first.
After a visit from Gallegos, Vela settled down, and struck out the next to batters to get out of the inning unscathed.
Then, Madera American put all thoughts of a loss to bed with a nine run first inning that sent all 13 batters to the plate. In the inning, Madera American only had three hits, but drew seven walks and had three sacrifices.
Amari Glynn led off with a single up the middle, and advanced to third on two wild pitches. After Jayden Morales walked and stole second, Rick Avila flew out to center.
Glynn scored on the play and Morales took third. However, the ball got away from the Selma catcher, and Morales took the extra base took to score.
Andrew Andrade took advantage of a right-down-the-middle 2-0 pitch and hit the ball off the billboards in centerfield for a solo home run.
David Olivas started the next rally with a double, a stolen base, and went to third on a wild pitch.
Vela drew a walk, and chaos started. Vela took first, and continued to second. Selma threw late to second, and Olivas scored. The play drew arguments from Selma, but the play was still live when Vela took second. The stolen base, basically, took all the wind out of Selma’s sails.
After a change in pitchers, Omar Prudente and Omar Molina drew walks to load the bases.
Antonio Guerrero put down a sacrifice bunt, but Selma tried to get Vela at the plate. The Selma catcher wasn’t on the plate, and Vela was safe.
Jeremiah Marmolejo, Michael Granado and, after a change of pitchers, D’Angelo Ortiz drew walks to force in Prudente, Molina and Guerrero.
With one out, Jeremiah Kimball flew out to center that drove in Marmolejo for the ninth run. Granado tried to take two bases and was narrowly tagged out at the plate to end the inning.
In the second, the Selma pitcher struck out the side in between an Avila walk.
Glynn came in to pitch in the third, and allowed a lead-off single. He got a fly out to right, but two singles up the middle loaded the bases.
After another chat from Gallegos, Glynn settled down with a strikeout and a ground out to end the inning.
Olivas opened the third with a double to left-center. Vela followed with a single up the middle, and stole second. Prudente and Molina grounded out, but Olivas and Vela scored.
Then, the bottom of the order started a two-out, nobody on rally. Guerrero started it with a single up the middle. Then, Marmolejo, Granado and Ortiz each drew their second walks of the game. Guerrero came around to score on a throwing error trying to steal third.
Marmolejo scored on a wild pitch and Kimball singled up the middle to drive in Granado for a 14-0 lead.
Glynn and Morales were hit by pitches to score Ortiz with the game-ending run (In Little League, there is a 15-run rule after three innings) to send Madera American to the title game.
Madera American 12, Madera National 1
Both teams had two hits, but that’s where the similarities ended from Monday’s game.
Madera National committed nine errors with a catcher’s interference call that accounted seven unearned runs. They also walked five batters and hit four more.
Madera American only had two hits, and one was a double from Vela.
Madera American took the early lead with fie runs on no hits in the first inning.
Glynn led off with a walk, and Morales was hit by a pitch. Avila forced Glynn at third. Then, the next six batters reached base.
Andrade reached on fielder’s choice to third after a fielding error allowed Morales to get to third.
Olivas reached on another error as Avila scored. Vela reached on a fielder’s choice as Andrade beat the throw to the plate.
Prudente was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Molina was hit by another pitch to force in Olivas. After a strikeout, Marmolejo drew a walk to force in Vela for the 5-0 lead.
Madera National battled back to score in the second. Justin Ornelas drew a one-out walk. He stole second and went to third on a throwing error. Demario Nevarez reached on swinging bunt to drive in Ornelas.
Vela struck out the next two batters to get out of the inning.
Madera American added six more runs in the second, and had their two hits of the game. Ortiz led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch. Kimball reached on a fielder’s choice when a throw to get Ortiz at second was wild.
Then, the centerfielder had trouble with the throw, and Ortiz scored with Kimball taking second.
Glynn reached on an error to put runners at the corners. Glynn then stole second, but a wild throw allowed Kimball to score.
Morales reached on catchers’ interference to put two on. Avila put down a sacrifice that was misplayed to allow Glynn to score with Avila taking second.
Andrade singled up the middle to drive in Morales and Avila, but was thrown trying to take second.
Vela followed with a double, and took third on a passed ball. Prudente reached on a dropped third strike. Then, Vela and Prudente executed a double-steal, and Vela scored.
Prudente stole third, but was tagged out trying to score on a wild pitch.
Glynn came in relief of Vela and allowed two base runners, and struck out two in a scoreless third.
Madera American brought the mercy rule in play with a run in the third. Molina led off with a walk, But Guerrero forced him at second. Marmolejo grounded out, but Guerrero took second.
Granado reached on an error that allowed Guerrero to score.
Ortiz and Kimball walked to load the bases, but a pop out ended the inning.
In the fourth, Olivas allowed on hit and a walk before recording two strikeouts to end the inning, and the game, with a 12-1 victory.