Shawn Hobson… OCEANSIDE – Long bombs flew through the sky at Ron Ortega Recreation Park on Friday night, and Vistans can be proud this Fourth of July.
That’s because there will definitely be a Little League Majors All-Star team from the city of Vista representing District 70 in the Section 6 Majors Tournament this year. The district championship game, set for Monday, pits Vista American against Rancho Buena Vista Little League.
Photos by Stephen Scheidel
On Friday, the Vista American Little League Majors All-Star team secured its spot in the championship game, ripping four home runs en route to a 8-4 victory over Oceanside National. For Oceanside, the loss brought an end to its two-year reign as the district champions in the majors division.
ONLL (2-2) coaches and players hugged one another after the team was ousted from the double-elimination tournament.
“It is disappointing, but this is what I told my players: ‘When you get beat, you can walk out with your head up,’” ONLL manager Morgan Burdick said. “Great teams get beat all the time.”
Burdick coached the ONLL majors all-stars the past three seasons, leading his team to a district championship two times in a row. They had hoped three-peat this season.
“Some of our guys may have been trying too hard tonight, but no one was not trying,” Burdick said. “It wasn’t due to a lack of heart. All our guys gave it a lot of heart.”
The VALL (3-1) All Stars showed a lot of heart as well, rallying to defeat the team that had handed them a loss in the first game of the tournament.
Oceanside took an early 2-0 lead in the second matchup. ONLL’s Billy Schassberger hit the very first pitch of the game over the fence. Oceanside scored again in the top of the the third before Vista mounted its comeback in the bottom of the inning.
That’s when Garrett Glassell launched a three-run homer over deep center, taking VNLL up 3-2. The next hitter, Nico Salazar, smashed a solo shot high and long over the left-field foul pole. Vista scored two more runs in the third, going up 6-2 and taking a lead that would not be relinquished.
“The kids woke up and came out ready to hit,” VALL manager Tyson Allen said. “We fought hard. We lost our first game, but to come back and beat these guys the second time, I’m really proud of my kids.”
The sixth hitter in the VALL lineup Michael Allen homered in the fifth, and the next batter Isaiah Martinez crushed one over the fence, too. Kai Burdick also homered for ONLL in the fourth inning. There was six home runs in all during the game.
Vista American will play Rancho Buena Vista at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the same field.
RBVLL (3-0) will advance to the Section 6 Tournament with a win Monday. If VALL wins, the two teams will meet again Tuesday night.
“They are very tough,” coach Allen said of RBV. “My team is going to have to play a perfect game to beat those guys.”
Michael Allen, Nico Salazar (4) and Brent Lawson. Drake Horne, Evan Stauch (3), Nick Hancock (3), Nick Vasquez (5) and Ryan Navalta. 2B – Salazar (VALL). HR – Schassberger (ONLL), Kai Burdick (ONLL), Glassell (VALL), Salazar (VALL), Allen (VALL), Isaiah Martinez (VALL).
FRIDAY’S ALL-STAR SCORES
All games played at Ron Ortega Recreation Park
Age (10-11) Division
Vista American 6, Oceanside National 2
Note: ONLL (2-2) was eliminated from tournament. VALL (2-1) advances to the championship game against Vista National (2-0). The game will be played Monday at 5 p.m. on the north field. VALL must win two games in a row in order to advance to the Section 6 Tournament to held at Encinitas Little League. VNLL advances with a win Monday.
Age (9-10) Division
Vista American 14, Oceanside Valley 0, 4 innings
Note: OVLL (1-2) was eliminated from tournament. VALL (3-1) plays Vista National (2-1) in an elimination game Monday on the south field at 6 p.m.
District 70 All-Star brackets can be found at http://www.eteamz.com/CAdistrict70/news/index.cfm?cat=920000
Contact Shawn Hobson at sportswriter@sbcglobal.net.
