There are three aspects to baseball – pitching, hitting and fielding – and Steven Aquila came up big for the Giants in all three on Wednesday in a thrilling 6-4 win over the Red Sox for the Spreckels Park Little League major championship at Brock Elliott School.
Aquila started on the hill for the Giants and yielded three runs in the first two innings – two earned. He blanked the Red Sox for the next two innings before reaching his maximum pitch count, allowing three hits and striking out eight, including the side in order in the fourth inning. He also had a solo home run in the third inning and finished 2 for 3 with two RBI and two runs.
But he saved the best for last. Trailing by two runs in the top of the sixth, the Red Sox had Sante Duarte on first with one out. Lucas Stackpole then hit a screaming grounder up the third base line where Aquila – who moved to third after leaving the mound – dove to his right and threw from his knees to cut down Duarte at second. The next batter flied out and that ended the game.
Stackpole scored twice – once on an infield single by Kaden Salas in the first inning and again in the fifth on a bases-loaded walk. Back-to-back singles by Duarte (2 for 4, RBI) and Stackpole scored Cody Cronin and Duarte in the second inning.
Aquila singled in Sammy Veuve in the bottom of the first to tie the score at 1-1. After the two Red Sox runs in the second, Veuve (3 for 3, double, RBI) doubled in Shae Ward and then came in to score on a groundout by Zac Cook. Aquila’s home run later in the frame put the Giants up 4-3.
With the score tied 4-4 in the fifth, Aquila singled and Adrian Rios reached on an error. Eddie DeAvila singled in Aquila and Rios came on a fielder’s choice by Caleb Perales for a 6-4 lead the Giants would hold through the sixth.
Manteca Little League Majors
Rays 8, A’s 0
Zach Todd was nearly perfect for the Rays on Wednesday in handing the A’s their first playoff loss, throwing a complete-game no-hitter while walking just three. He tallied 12 strikeouts, striking out the side twice at Lincoln Park.
The Rays had three two-RBI hits – a two-RBI double by Sergio Gonzalez that scored Dyla DePrater and Anthony Garcia along with two-RBI singles by Micah Saldana that scored Ty Curry and Landon Kinney and a two-RBI single by Garcia that scored Saldana and DePrater. Micah English added an RBI.
The two teams meet again on Friday to determine the champion at 5:30 p.m. at Lincoln Park.
Minors
Rangers 9, Giants 6
Pitching by committee and timely hitting helped the Rangers out of the consolation bracket Tuesday.
Kirk Simoni, Chase Swafford and Landon Espinola split the pitching duties for the Rangers. Swafford ended the fourth inning with a great catch on a pop fly and Espinola closed out the game with a back-door pickoff of a runner at first with catcher Zak Wilson.
The Rangers scored four in the first inning behind a two-run double by Logan Tyler. Hayden Coronado added a two-run double in the third inning.
The Rangers play the Nationals in the championship round Thursday on the major field at Lincoln Park at 5:30 p.m.
