Teams complete title quest

This post has been corrected, as noted below.

Ocean View Little League laid claim Tuesday to a pair of Section 10 tournament titles as the 10-11 and 8-9 All-Star teams won their respective division championship.

Two other District 62 All-Star teams, the Huntington Valley Majors and Ocean View 9-10 teams, both reached their respective championship games and played Wednesday. Scores from those games weren’t available at press time.

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Ocean View 10-11 All-Stars fight back for title

Ocean View needed to win two games Tuesday to win its division and it did just that in knocking off Aliso Viejo (District 55) in a doubleheader at South Mission Viejo Little League.

In the first game, the All-Stars pounded out 24 hits and needed only four innings to come away with a resounding, 24-7 victory. Jared Reyes’ first career home run was a grand slam and Shane Hoodman also homered. The score was tied, 2-2, before Ocean View came up with 12 hits to score 12 runs in the second inning that included both home runs.

Jared Manzo went four for five with four RBIs, Edward Pelc went three for four with four RBIs, and Noah Karliner went three for four with three RBIs.

Manager Vince Manzo said Pelc also “pitched a great, complete game.”

In a game that would determine the Section 10 champion, Ocean View emerged with that title after scoring a 6-2 win. Jared Manzo pitched “a gem,” Vince Manzo said, in 5 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts. Karliner delivered a three-run home run to deep left field that wiped out a 2-1 Aliso Viejo lead and put Ocean View in front for good at 4-2.

Timely hits later in the game by Reyes and Pelc ran the score to 6-2.

“It was a great evening for the boys,” Vince Manzo said of his team which lost its tournament opener but won its final four games to take the title. “These boys are a special group. They have been playing together for last three years and are great ball players. If they continue to play like they did in this tourney they will be tough to beat.

“Winning this Section 10 tourney is probably the toughest in Southern California, and we did it the hard way.”

Ocean View moves on to the Southern California Championships tournament and plays its opening game at 3 p.m. Saturday at Fletcher Hills Little League in El Cajon.

Ocean View 10-11 All-Stars: Anthony Cappociama, Lucas Catano, Jag Burden, Riley Shannon, Edward Pelc, Shane Hoodman, Luke Adelman, Noah Karliner, Jimmy Campbell, Sinjin Choi, Jared Reyes, Jared Manzo, Zach Lyons. Manager: Vince Manzo. Coaches: Mark Shannon, Randy Karliner.

— Mike Sciacca

[For the record, 11 a.m. July 18: An earlier version of this post incorrectly identified the Ocean View 10-11 All-Stars as the 8-9 All-Star team.]

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Ocean View 8-9 All-Stars take crown

Ocean View won each of its three Section 10 games to win the championship at its own Murdy Park field. The All-Stars outscored their two opponents, Aliso Viejo (District 55) and Trabuco Canyon (District 68), 30-12. Ocean View defeated Aliso Viejo twice, taking the opening game Saturday, 11-4, and clinching the title Tuesday with a 10-0 victory in four innings.

Ocean View also edged Trabuco Canyon, 9-8, in an extra-innings game Sunday.

AJ Hurtado again posed a dual threat in Tuesday’s win. He had two hits including a three-run home run. On the mound, he struck out four and walked one in four innings.

Ocean View scored eight runs over the first three innings getting an RBI single from Daniel Kotkosky, a three-run home run by Hurtado, and two-run home run from Sam Cohn.

Cade Hart and Antonio Ventimiglia hit solo home runs in the third and fourth innings, respectively, and Hurtado singled home Kotkosky for Ocean View’s final run.

In its opener Saturday against Aliso Viejo, Ocean View scored eight runs in the first three innings. Chad Lux had a key, two-run single and also stole home during the scoring spree. Lux went two for three, Hurtado hit a solo home run, Jimmy Legg doubled and singled and Matt Hernandez went two for two.

In Sunday’s one-run win over Trabuco Canyon, an RBI double by Ventimiglia scored Cohn with the winning run in the bottom of the seventh. Kotkosky went three for three. Lux had an RBI single in the fourth and Cohn, Quentin Custodio, Kai Mullens, Jackson Rockefeller and Riley Reece also made key contributions both on offense and defense.

Ocean View 8-9 All-Stars: Sam Cohn, Quentin Custodio, Cade Hart, Matt Hernandez, AJ Hurtado, Evan Knipe, Daniel Kotkosky, Jimmy Legg, Chad Lux, Kai Mullens, Riley Reece, Jackson Rockefeller, Antonio Ventimiglia. Manager: Dana Lux. Coaches: Jason Cohn, Toby Reece.

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Major All-Stars

Huntington Valley reaches Section finals

Huntington Valley won its first two games in Section 10 action and played for its division championship on Wednesday. The score from Wednesday’s game wasn’t available at press time.

A 2-1 victory over East Anaheim on Monday at Modjeska Park (Loara Little League host) put Huntington Valley in Wednesday’s championship series. Nick Morlett pitched a complete-game victory which was aided by Jaedon Bartling who hit a solo home run in the top of the sixth inning to put Huntington Valley in front for good, 2-1.

Bartling ended the game with a big defensive play in the bottom of the sixth.

“The team held it together in a tight game,” Huntington Valley Manager Dave Hahn said. “We call pressure a privilege, and the boys have been thriving on it.”

Huntington Valley started tournament play Saturday and scored a 3-1 victory over Viejo. Bartling, Joshua Hahn and Brandon Bui had RBIs. Hahn got the pitching win and struck out seven without giving up a run. Morlett closed the game.

Huntington Valley’s first two runs came in the third on an RBI hit by Bartling followed by an RBI ground out by Hahn. Bui hit a towering home run in the sixth to complete the scoring.

“Section play is always tough,” Dave Hahn said. “Our team defense was exceptional and timely hitting came through for us.”

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9/10 All-Stars

Ocean View reaches Section final

Host Ocean View took on Aliso Viejo (District 55) Wednesday in the Section title game at Murdy Park. The score wasn’t available at press time.

Aliso Viejo set up Wednesday’s finale by handing Ocean View its first tournament loss, 5-3. In a tourney opener Saturday, Ocean View shut out Aliso Viejo, 11-0, in a game called after four innings. An RBI double by Lucas Pantel that scored both Jake D’Amico and Matthew Wilson, followed by an RBI fly out by Tristan Kennedy that scored AJ Valle, gave Ocean View the lead for keeps in the opening inning.

Kennedy started the Ocean View half of the third with a double and later scored on an overthrow, an inning where the lead grew to 7-0. In the fourth, Nick Skorheim hit a two-run home run and Nate Skorheim had an RBI single.

Wilson started on the mound and took the win. He was replaced in the third inning by Nick Shenkman who was relieved by Pantel who closed out the win in the fourth.

Ocean View took down Rancho Santa Margarita (District 68), 9-2, Sunday. Ocean View again got out to an early scoring twice in the top of the first on an RBI single by Pantel and when Shenkman scored on an overthrow. It became 3-0 when Parker Walpole scored on an error. In the third, a two-run double by Kennedy and RBI single by Nate Skorheim put the lead at 6-0.

A double by D’Amico, RBI single by Valle and RBI double by Kennedy in the fourth, upped Ocean View’s advantage to 9-0. Kennedy racked up four RBIs for the game.

Cole Kaplan registered the pitching win and struck out four in three innings. Shenkman finished on the mound.

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Junior All-Stars

Fountain Valley wins District 62 title

Fountain Valley won its final three games to take the District 62 All-Star Tournament on July 1 at Huntington Beach High.

Fountain Valley (16-4) won the title by defeating Huntington Valley, 10-2, in the championship game. Jake Bitzer, Nick Taylor and Parker Smith combine for the two-hitter. Smith pitched the final three innings and didn’t allow a hit while walking one with six strikeouts.

Fountain Valley scored five runs in the third to break open the game. Timmy Knowles singled and scored on a triple by Bitzer. Smith, Tanner Motske and Conrad Frick each had an RBI single.

Fountain Valley had a season-best 14 hits and no errors. Taylor went three for four with an RBI, Frick went two for two with an RBI, and Smith had two hits including a double with an RBI.

Fountain Valley forced a one-game final by slipping past Huntington Valley, 8-7, on June 29.

Fountain Valley must win to force the final game. Smith had an RBI single and Riley Hanson an RBI double in the opening inning. In the second, Nick Taylor (two hits, RBI), Motske, Frick (RBI), Bitzer (RBI), Hanson (RBI) all singled, and Azael Peralta walked to force in a run. The lead was 7-1.

Huntington Valley fought back to tie the score in the top of the fourth scoring six runs on five hits, a hit batter and an error. Peralta singled to start the bottom of the sixth, stole second base, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored the winning run on an error.

Smith took the mound for Huntington Valley in the fifth and went on to strike out four without allowing a run to get the win.

Fountain Valley Junior All-Stars: Steven Gonzalez, Riley Hansen, Luke Wells, Caleb Holrook, Tanner Motske, Conrad Frick, Kyle Adams, Jake Bitzer, Mark Madrid, Azael Peralta, Timmy Knowles, Nick Taylor, Parker Smith. Manager: Jeff Motske. Coaches: Steve Motske, John Kemper.

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