Dad said yes.

Son said no and got it done.

Cristian Tonna came to bat for the Manteca 10-11 All-Stars in the bottom of the sixth inning with the bases loaded, one out and the District 67 championship on the line against Tracy National Monday at Lincoln Park.

Tonna’s father and coach – Rob Tonna – wanted his son to lay down a bunt, and Cristian Tonna was not at all comfortable with that request.

 After badly missing a bunt attempt, Rob Tonna took off the bunt sign and Cristian responded with a single to right-center that plated Nico Ilardi to give Manteca a 4-3 win and the 10-11 championship banner for the second year in a row.

“He got the bunt sign and he was a little hesitant,” Rob Tonna said of his son. “And he had been in a little bit of a slump lately.”

Ilardi started off the sixth with a two-strike single and Vincent Hernandez advanced Ilardi with a screaming single down the third-base line. A hit batter followed a strikeout to load the bases and set up Cristian Tonna’s heroics.

“We were not the biggest team in the tournament,” Rob Tonna said. “But playing as a team got us the championship.”

Manteca struck quickly when Jacob DeJesus led off the first with a single and Ilardi reached on an error. Hernandez hit a sacrifice that scored DeJesus and Ilardi came in when he advanced on a throw later on the same play. DeJesus (2 for 3, two runs) had a one-out infield single in the third and after Alardi singled Dejesus went to third on a throwing error and came home on a fielder’s choice by Hernandez to give Manteca a 3-0 lead.

Tracy National picked up a pair of runs in the fourth inning and one in the fifth to tie the game.

Two big catches in the outfield – one by Steven Eaves in center in the second and another by Jackson Brunn in the sixth – helped squelch Tracy National threats.

“That was a big catch for Brunn,” Rob Tonna said. “He is a 10-year old and played well on this 11-year-old team.”

Manteca opens the Section 6 Tournament on Saturday evening at 7 at Soderquist Field in Turlock.