Page 6 July 12, 2018 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
El Segundo Little League 12s Win the District Title in a Wild Finish
By Gregg McMullin
On one of the warmest days of the year, the
El Segundo Little League (ESLL) 11-12-year-old
all-star team scorched Redondo Beach Little
League (RBLL) for four runs in the bottom
of the sixth inning for a come-from-behind,
walk-off 8-7 win. In the process, ESLL won
the District 36 tournament and its 32nd banner
to hang.
El Segundo ran the table in the District 36
tournament by handling Palos Verdes Little
League in a come-from-behind 5-2 win. In
game two against RBLL, the game was close
but ESLL eked out a 4-3 victory. The game
would become a pitching duel after the first
inning when both teams scored a run. Dylan
Garcia and Dylan Immel combined to hold a
powerful RBLL lineup in check. Lucas Bonham
provided the difference in the game with
a towering three-run home run in the third
inning as El Segundo hung on for 4-3 victory.
In the winners’ bracket semifinal game, ESLL
faced Lunada Bay Little League. Lunada Bay
jumped out to a three-run lead in the top of
the first, but ESLL answered with a two-run
home run by Bonham. ESLL added two more
runs in the second to take a 4-3 lead and then
broke the game open in the fourth inning by
adding five runs -- including another homer by
Bonham. ESLL put the game away in the fifth
inning with an additional five runs, ensuring
a trip to the District 36 championship game.
Throughout the tournament El Segundo had
outstanding pitching from Garcia, Immel, James
Baldino and Mateo Heredia. Defensively the
team has been outstanding, with the outfield
led by Holden Coulter and Mateo Heredia
and the infield by Immel, Brett Abitante and
Dylan Alcala.
El Segundo faced RBLL in the first elimination
District 36 championship game. On a
sun-drenched day under a cloudless sky with
temperatures hovering above 80 degrees, this
game was a classic. The ending couldn’t have
been scripted any better and treated hundreds
of fans, taking refuge from the sun under the
trees, to one of the best finishes in memory.
El Segundo took an early lead in the first
inning when Immel pounded his first home
run of the season over the right field fence
for a 1-0 lead. Later in the inning, Dominick
Kopecky had an RBI double to make it 2-0.
With Redondo’s pitcher Dane Acosta having
control problems, ESLL scored another run on
a walk to stretch the lead to 3-0.
In the second inning, each team squandered
opportunities to score. RBLL had back-to-back
singles to start the inning, but Garcia induced a
double play and a strikeout. ESLL had singles
from Immel and Bonham, but Acosta got out
of the inning with consecutive strikeouts.
RBLL mounted another threat in the third
inning with consecutive hits with two outs, but
Garcia got out of jam with a popup. Redondo
took advantage of a defensive mistake and
an untimely error with two outs to take a 4-3
lead. With runners on first and third, RBLL
used a deceptive steal attempt and scored its
first run to cut the lead to 3-1. An error in the
infield extended the inning and Acosta made
El Segundo pay for the miscue. He gave his
team a 4-3 lead with a 240-foot home run.
El Segundo had a rally snuffed out on a double
steal attempt with two outs. With Coulter on
first base and Abitante on third base, Coulter
attempted to steal second base and drew the
throw to second. On the throw Abitante raced
towards the plate, but was cut down on the
return throw to the catcher to end the inning.
In the fifth inning, Acosta walked El Segundo
leadoff hitter Alcala. Heredia then sent a high
fly ball to the right field fence that was caught
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and robbed him of a home run. Baldino singled
and then Cruz Ochoa tied the game at 4-4 with
an RBI single. El Segundo failed to take the
lead when it left bases loaded.
In one of the wildest finishes and a “you had
to be there” moment, the two teams combined
to use four pitchers and scored a total of eight
runs on five hits -- including a home run, one
crucial error and two close plays at the plate.
RBLL took advantage of the hard-throwing
Heredia when Howard Redmond led off the
sixth inning with a double. Consecutive walks
loaded the bases and Maddon Laureano had an
RBI single. Josh Siegel’s two-run double gave
Redondo a seemingly comfortable 7-4 lead.
El Segundo was not through, though. To
prove it, Bonham sent a 225-foot solo home
run sailing over the fence to start the inning.
Trailing 7-5, Nik Kvitek and Alcala each
singled to put the tying run on base. Heredia
hit a comebacker to the pitcher with Landon
Davis running for Kvitek at third base. Davis
ran on contact and the throw got away from the
catcher at the plate. When the ball was finally
tracked down, Coulter (running for Alcala) was
already rounding third base and scored on a
close play at the plate to tie the game. During
all the excitement, Heredia wound up at
second base. With the winning run on second,
Baldino delivered the knockout blow with an
RBI single to center that easily scored Heredia
and ignited a championship celebration.
El Segundo advances to the Sectional
Tournament this Saturday at Perry Park in
Redondo Beach.
9-10-Year-Old All-Stars Win
District 36 Championship
The El Segundo 9-10 all-stars have won four
games to move into the District 36 Championship
game at Redondo’s Perry Park. In the first
four games, the team recorded a total of 48 hits
led by Logan Brooks (11-15), Ryan Wiacek
(7-14), Chase Mattoon (7-13), Joaquin Wagner-
Bagues (6-12) and Lincoln Quaintance (5-10).
Cole Knupfer, James Owen, Jaiden Rico and
Spencer Osborne were solid at the plate with
designated hitters Gio Blanco, Andre Sugden,
Jake Danford and Jordan Slavens contributing
to the team’s 30 RBIs.
The pitching staff has had a strong showing
with Brooks, Mattoon, Owen, Knupfer,
Quaintance and Wagner-Bagues contributing on
the mound. Three pitchers and a stout defense
combined to shut out Manhattan Beach Little
League in the second game. They only allowed
two runs in the game against Redondo Beach
League to reach the championship contest.
El Segundo once again flexed its offensive
muscles and defeated Palos Verdes Little
League 13-6 victory to clinch the District 36
Championship. Another strong showing at the
plate proved too much for the Palos Verdes
defense. Led by Wagner-Bagues’ 3-4 at the
plate, he drove in runs on a single in the first,
a double in the fourth and single in the fifth
to lead the team with four RBIs. Sugden was
3-3 with one RBI, Wiacek went 2-2 with one
RBI, and Mattoon had a perfect day at the
plate going 2-2 with one RBI. Brooks and
Owen each went 1-1.
El Segundo opened up the game in the fourth
inning by scoring five runs. Quaintance, Danford
and Rico each had RBI singles. Brooks was
intentionally walked by Palos Verdes, setting
up Wagner-Bagues to break the game open in
the fourth. Blanco sealed the game for ESLL
with a two-run double in the fifth inning
Mattoon started for El Segundo, allowing
four hits and only one run in three innings
on the mound. Knupfer filled in the pitching
lineup, relieving in the fourth to set up Brooks
to finish. Brooks capped the game in the top of
the fifth by striking two out to end the contest.
The defense played a clean game, led by
third baseman Quaintance and the outfield
of Owen, Sugden, Wiacek and Osbourne.
The defense limited PVLL to six runs on
eight hits.
The 9-10 all-stars will head to sectional
play against District 25 this Saturday, July 14.
Game time is slated for 1:15 p.m. at Torrance
Little League.
10-11 All-Stars Fall in District
El Segundo’s run to the District 36 championship
game fell short when it lost to Palos
Verdes Little League 7-4. •
The El Segundo 11-12 All Stars pose with another championship banner.
Landon Davis, who just scored the tying run in the fifth inning, is congratulated by his teammates.
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