The Tri Park Senior Little League All-Star Baseball team avenged an earlier loss to Lennox with a 10-7 win in the first game of the District 37 championship series last Sunday at Jim Thorpe Park in Hawthorne.
A day after falling to Lennox, 3-2, in the winner’s bracket second round, Tri Park started quickly by scoring seven runs in the top of the first inning.
Highlighting the inning was a grand slam home run from Armando Hernandez, Jr.
Tri Park built a 10-0 lead through four innings but had to hang on.
The Tri Park Senior Little League All-Star Baseball team avenged an earlier loss to Lennox with a 10-7 win in the first game of the District 37 championship series last Sunday at Jim Thorpe Park in Hawthorne.
A day after falling to Lennox, 3-2, in the winner’s bracket second round, Tri Park started quickly by scoring seven runs in the top of the first inning.
Highlighting the inning was a grand slam home run from Armando Hernandez, Jr.
Tri Park built a 10-0 lead through four innings but had to hang on.
“Lennox can do anything,” Tri Park manager Alex Campos said. “They don’t give up.”
According to Campos, starting pitcher Tyler Bonsky pitched well but got a little shaky in the later innings. Bonsky was the winning pitcher.
The two teams meet, again, Saturday at 6 p.m. at Thorpe Park for the championship and the right to play in the Section 4 Tournament at Marine Park in Manhattan Beach during next week.
After falling to Lennox on Saturday, Tri Park came back with a 9-7 victory over North Inglewood.
On Saturday, the game was tied at two with the bases loaded before Lennox scored a winning unearned run on an error.
In the first round last Thursday, Tri Park took a five-inning mercy rule to rout Lawndale, 17-5.
Miguel Osorio sparked Tri Park’s offense with two doubles for four runs batted in.
Starting pitcher Anthony Campos was the winning pitcher and reliever Esai Leanos finished the game.
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Serra lands 6 on all-Del Rey Baseball
By Joe Snyder
GVN Correspondent
Serra High’s baseball team had six players make the all-Del Rey team that was released last week.
Five of those six made first team for the Cavaliers, who were co-league champions with eventual CIF-Southern Section Division III champion La Puente Bishop Amat.
Those included junior shortstop Morgan Lomax, senior outfielder-pitcher Marcus Wilson, junior outfielder Mateo Brambila, senior outfielder Denz’l Chapman and freshman pitcher Cardinal Fernandezees.
Lomax batted around .360 and Serra head coach Wilmer Aaron feels that he has the material to be a high round Major League Baseball draft pick when he graduates next year.
Wilson, a returning all-American who played in an Under Armour All-American baseball classic over last summer in San Diego, was drafted in the second round and 69th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He is currently playing in Peoria, Ariz. of the Rookie League.
Chapman had 60 stolen bases as a sophomore in the 2012 season when Serra played in the weaker Camino Real League but brought that down to 23 this past season, much due to tougher competition in the Del Rey League and a harder non-league and tournament schedule.
He was taken in the 32nd round by the Oakland Athletics but, according of the most recent resources, will play at San Diego State University despite the recent death of its head coach and former San Diego Padre Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, Sr. from oral (mouth) cancer.
Brambila had an outstanding season and Fernandezees is already showing that he could have been ranked one of the top freshman pitchers in Southern California.
During the 2013 season, Wilson and Chapman keyed Serra’s baseball team to its first Southern Section crown by winning the Division III championship over Manhattan Beach Mira Costa, 8-1, at Dodger Stadium, but, with mostly a young and lesser experienced squad, the Cavaliers were ousted in the first round by Loara, 8-5, on May 16 in Anaheim. Loara lost to top ranked Palm Desert in the second round. Palm Desert lost in the finals to Bishop Amat on June 6 at Dodger Stadium.
Making second team for the Cavaliers was Adrian Morales.
The league’s Most Valuable Player was Bishop Amat senior Scott Hurst, while senior pitcher Alex Garcia was Most Valuable Pitcher.
Gardena, which finished fifth in the Marine League, had senior outfielder Justin Knolls make first team.
The Marine League’s Most Valuable Player was junior pitcher Daniel Rocha from champion and CIF-Los Angeles City Section Division I semifinalist Narbonne. The Gauchos lost to eventual champion Lake Balboa Birmingham, 3-1.
The Marine’s Most Outstanding Player is senior Juan Gallardo of second place Wilmington Banning.
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U.S. begins knockout round against Belgium
By Joe Snyder
GVN Correspondent
The United States national men’s soccer team was able to get past the first round from a very tough Group G despite a 1-0 loss to champion Germany last Thursday in Recife, Brazil.
The Americans tied for second with Portugal, each with 1-1-1 records and both tying at 2-2 in their match on June 23. The Yankees, however, advanced by three overall goals, 7-4, while Portugal was eliminated despite a 2-1 win over Ghana last Thursday in Brasalia, the capital city of Brazil.
No doubt it will be a tough one, like the others, as the U.S. took on Belgium in the second round last Tuesday in Salvador, Brazil. The Yankees lost two earlier matches to Belgium prior to the World Cup.
Germany had a surprisingly rugged match with Algeria before pulling off a 2-1 overtime win last Monday.
After an inspiring 2-0-1 group record, Mexico, which was second behind Brazil also by goals, was unable to hold on to a rather long lasting 1-0 lead as the Netherlands rallied for two late goals, one on a penalty kick, to fall out, 2-1, last Sunday in Fortaleza.
How far will the young Americans go? They entered last Tuesday’s match as underdogs but anything can happen. Soccer is usually a given day sport. Not many observers expected Algeria to even give powerful Germany a run for the money. In fact, all three goals were scored in overtime after a scoreless tie.
Lakers and NBA Draft: Last Thursday was the National Basketball Association first year draft held in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The Los Angeles Lakers chose a good No. 7 pick in University of Kentucky freshman power forward Julius Randle who had numerous double-doubles in points and rebounds.
Sources are that Randle may be mostly an offensive player, although the Lakers hope his strength can help him get a lot of defensive rebounds and other defensive plays, as well. Defense is definitely what the Lakers need to improve from their miserable 27-55 2013-14 season, their worst in L.A. Lakers history and overall the second worst, only ahead of the 1957-58 Minneapolis Lakers that finished at 19-53 in the days of 72-game seasons.
Coincidently, both of those squads were in rebuilding.
A rash of injuries and losses of premiere head coach Phil Jackson, now in the front office with the New York Knicks (a team he spent his playing days with during the 1960’s and 1970’s), and owner Jerry Buss who passed away early last year.
Big things could happen. The Lakers still need to find a new head coach, along with very good assistants, to replace Michael D’Antoni, who resigned abruptly shortly after this pasts season. Derek Fisher, who many Laker fans wanted as their new head mentor, is now coach with the Knicks.
The next choice, according to a lot of observers, appears to be ex-Laker player Byron Scott, who already head coached some successful teams including the New Jersey Nets to the NBA finals in the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons. The Nets were swept by the Lakers, led by Bryant and now retired Shaquille O’ Neal, in 2002.
Also, they are seeking to pick up prized free agent Lebron James from the Miami Heat. The Heat, in fact, has all of their big three; James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Posh, filing for free agency that could even put them in the same position where the Lakers are; rebuilding. There is also ex-UCLA star Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lakers should definitely get that new head coach. It will be hard with the players if they don’t get one soon enough. Get that new mentor before the free agent picks start!
However, Jackson and the Knicks are seeking to lure Laker star Pau Gasol to the team.
The Laker saga continues.
Youth Basketball Camp: Although the deadline for early sign-ups passed last Tuesday, youth from ages 5-15 can register for the Brian Seaton Better Results Basketball Camp in Torrance from July 21-25.
The camp will be during that week Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with late pickup games running as late as 5:30 p.m.
Each player will get a t-shirt and evaluation.
There will be awards handed out including champions on one-on-one games, free throw, ball handling, knockout and Most Inspirational.
The camp address is at 1780 Oak St. in Torrance and registration fee is $250.
For further information, please contact Seaton at 310-818-1160 or e-mail him at BSeaton23@gmail.com.
The website is www.NLPBBALL.com.
