The Lennox Orioles started fast with nine runs in the first two innings and coasted to an 11-7 victory over the Holly Park Rockies in a Carl Magee, Jr. District 37 Tournament of Champions Minor (age 9-10) Little League loser’s bracket game last Sunday at Carl Nielsen Youth Sports Park in Westchester.
The Orioles jumped quickly on Rockies starting pitcher Issac Wright for four runs in the bottom of the first inning and five more in the second to surge out to an early 9-1 lead.
The Lennox Orioles started fast with nine runs in the first two innings and coasted to an 11-7 victory over the Holly Park Rockies in a Carl Magee, Jr. District 37 Tournament of Champions Minor (age 9-10) Little League loser’s bracket game last Sunday at Carl Nielsen Youth Sports Park in Westchester.
The Orioles jumped quickly on Rockies starting pitcher Issac Wright for four runs in the bottom of the first inning and five more in the second to surge out to an early 9-1 lead.
Lennox would lead by as many as nine runs (11-2) through four innings before Holly Park scored one run in the fifth and four in the sixth to make the game respectful.
“We fought hard,” Holly Park manager Darren Hood said. “My boys never quit. They never broke stride nor gave up.”
A two-run double by Memo Perez highlighted the Rockies’ four-run sixth. Relief pitcher Adrian Pieneda pitched 2 2/3 innings giving up just one run.
For the Orioles, Ricky Salcedo hit a two-run home run. Kevin Blake had three hits and drove in three runs.
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All-Star Baseball
Local stars play in South Bay All-Star Baseball Classic
By Joe Snyder
Sports Editor
Last Friday, top senior prep baseball players vied in the South Bay All-Star Baseball Classic where they were divided into the Blue and Red teams.
In the end, it was the Red stars that defeated the Blues 8-3.
The Red stars were highlighted by Jason Diccochea who led off the game with a home run off Banning pitcher Ivan Martinez. Diccochea keyed Redondo to its second consecutive CIF-Southern Section Division III championship with a 2-1 victory over Irvine Woodbridge on June 4 at San Manuel Stadium in San Bernardino. Also in the top of the first, South Torrance’s Matt Mavrosakis hit a homer to give the Reds a 3-0 lead.
For the Blues, Mira Costa standout pitcher Trevor Franklin, who is bound for Pepperdine University, pitched two scoreless innings before being replaced by West Torrance’s Matt Stearns. The Reds took a 6-0 lead behind an RBI (run batted in) single by Joey Domicoli of San Pedro Mary Star and a run-scoring double from Diccochea.
The bottom of the sixth saw South’s Trevor Talpas pitch. In that inning, Serra’s Rollie Nichols reached first base on an error and Talpas walked Narbonne’s Jonathan Saldana but he struck out the next three batters to get out of the inning.
The Blues finally scored in the bottom of the ninth off Diccochea. Ruben Markham, who keyed North Torrance into the CIF-Southern Section Division IV playoffs where it lost in a wildcard game to Alhambra, began with a double and scored on a single from Zack Chan (Mira Costa). Diccochea, though, got his Sea Hawk teammate Marco Valenzuela to strike out as the Reds’ celebrated their win.
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All-Star Softball
Carson, North standouts help Blues down Reds
By Joe Snyder
Sports Editor
The South Bay All-Star Softball Classic on June 8 at El Segundo Recreation Park began as a pitcher’s duel before the Blue all-stars let loose for a 6-3 over the Red team.
In the bottom of the fourth, it was Carson High standout Alissa Cienfuegos who accounted for the Blues’ first two runs. She tripled off Redondo pitcher Kat Ung driving home Lauren Sabihon from CIF-Southern Section Division IV champion North Torrance. Cienfuegos scored on a wild pitch.
The Blues took a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth behind an RBI double by Bella Samperio (San Pedro Mary Star) and a run-scoring single by Sabihon.
In the sixth, it was Esperanza Villafan of Hawthorne that doubled against Banning’s Leah Gonzalez. North’s Veronica Garcia and Palos Verdes’ Katie Silvestri scored on the play giving the Blue squad a 6-0 lead.
The Reds scored their three runs in the ninth.
Marissa Moreno of Division IV runner-up Torrance was the winning pitcher. She, along with Megan Truesdale (El Segundo), Alyssa Loza (North Torrance) and Kaitlin Buff (Rolling Hills Prep) pitched eight scoreless innings.
