STOCKTON — Northgate catcher Santino Arranaga came up big when he had to.

With Manteca having trimmed a five-run Northgate lead to one run with two out in the bottom of the seventh and a runner on first, Arranaga fired a bullet to second base to end the game on unsuccessful steal attempt and give Northgate a thrilling 12-11 win Tuesday to open the District 67 Juniors All-Star Tournament at Paul Weston Park.

The seventh inning saw the two teams combine for 10 runs. Northgate trailed 7-6 going into the final inning and put up six runs behind a two-RBI double by Anthony Lynch, an RBI triple by Israel Leon and an RBI single by Caleb Ruiz. Nathan De La Cruz got the scoring parade going with a beautiful sacrifice bunt down the third-base line with the bases loaded, scoring Ryan Medina.

Northgate’s Dominick Summerville had a two-RBI single in the fourth inning to tie the game at 4-4.

Manteca loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh when Valentino Torres was hit by a pitch, plating Josh Husband (RBI). Ephraim Burns tallied an RBI on a fielder’s choice and Maddox Morales knocked in two runs to narrow the gap to one run before Arranaga’s strike to second ended the game.  

Both teams had control problems from the mound, combining for 19 walks and four hit batters against 15 strikeouts.

Manteca plays Mountain House in an elimination game tonight at 8 and Thursday at 5 p.m. Northgate faces either Patterson or Spreckels Park in the semifinal at 5 p.m.