Missed opportunities.
After scoring two runs in the first inning Friday the Northgate Braves stranded nine runners through the next five innings and could not manage another run as the Tracy American Yankees claimed a berth in the championship round of the Little League District 67 Majors Tournament of Champions with a 6-2 win on Gillen Field at Northgate Little League
In addition to missed chances at the plate, errors led to the first four Yankees runs. Caden Duke reached on an error for Tracy American in the first inning and came home on a single by Trevor Gibson for a 1-0 lead. Chase Henderson walked and made his way to third before scoring on the second Northgate error of the inning for a 2-0 lead.
The Yankees repaid the Braves in the bottom of the first with some miscues of their own. Charlie Sanders led off the frame for Northgate with a bloop single to center. He then took second, third and home on wild pitches to bring the Braves within 2-1. Willie Segura walked, went to second on one of the wild pitches and came home on an error off of the bat of Romeo Torres to tie the game at 2-2.
The error bug bit Northgate again in the second. After two strikeouts by Romeo Torres, Duke reached on an error. What should have ended the inning did not and Tracy American made the Braves pay when Henderson hit a line drive over the center-field fence for a 4-2 Yankees lead. Tracy American added two more in the sixth on a bases-loaded walk followed by a bases-loaded hit batsman.
Segura and Carl Hernandez doubled for Northgate.
The Braves face the Manteca A’s this morning at 9 in the consolation semifinal with the Yankees awaiting the winner Monday at 5:30 p.m.
 
Manteca A’s 16,
Tracy National 15
Time for Round 2.
Thanks to a six-run sixth inning capped by James Dennis’ two-RBi walk-off single on Bassi Field, the A’s will face the Northgate Braves this morning at 9. Manteca was dispatched to the consolation bracket by Northgate on Sunday.
Garrison Reis got the Manteca rally going in the bottom of the sixth with a one-out double. Reece George followed with a single and Josh Dennis walked to load the bases. Michael George then hit a two-RBI single plating Reis and George to make the score 15-12. Following Brian Lopez reaching on an error, David Alvarado had a two-RBI single that scored Josh Dennis and George.
Tyler Paul Wentworth walked to load the bases, setting up James Dennis’s shot down the left-field line, plating Lopez and Alvarado for the win.
Alvarado had his best game of the year, going 3 for 3 with a triple, four RBI and a walk. Wentworth was 2 for 3 with a home and a sacrifice, Reis was 3 for 4 and Lopez was 2 for 4.