Sports
Babe Ruth: Hooper Leads Tri-Valley 13s As They Open Regional With a Win
Tri-Valley's Hooper overcomes slow start en route to 10-0 victory on first day of Pacific Southwest Regional Tournament.
Tri-Valley 10, Somerton (Ariz) 0
First round, Babe Ruth 13-year-old Pacific Southwest Regional
Surprise, Ariz.
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The Star: Justin Hooper shook off a slow start to throw a complete-game shutout with seven strikeouts and finished with three RBIs.
The Turning Point: Tri-Valley pulled away for good in the bottom of the sixth inning as the order batted around, scoring seven runs.
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The Quote: "We just let the kids play," Tri-Valley manager Ken Franco said.
Who's Next?: Sam Cabral will take the mound for Tri-Valley against Orcutt (Central California), which crushed Ogden (Utah) 16-5.
The Bottom Line: Tuesday's game may be a high scoring affair between Tri-Valley and Orcutt, which combined to outscore its opponents 26-5 on the first day.
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It took a few innings for Justin Hooper to settle in, but once he did, the "Hoop Show" was on display in Surprise, Ariz. The ace led the Tri-Valley 13-year-old all star team to a 10-0 victory against Somerton (Arizona) on the first day of the Babe Ruth Pacific Southwest Regional.
It wasn't easy getting the complete-game shutout and seven strikeouts. The lefty admitted being affected by the soaring temperatures.
"The pitches weren't there because of the heat," he said. "But you just deal with it."
And deal with it he did.
Hooper worked out of jams in the top of the first and second innings. He then hit a two-run double to shallow center field in the bottom of the second, scoring Josh Domingo and Matt Snyder, the first runs of the game.
"I was able to get the team ahead and help myself," Hooper said.
It was all the help Tri-Valley would need as Hooper and the defense shut down Somerton for the rest of the game.
"He pitched a great game," Tri-Valley manager Ken Franco said. "He battled and fielded his position really well."
Tri-Valley added to its lead in the bottom of the fifth on a Tyler Lonestar RBI-double and batted around for seven runs in the bottom of the sixth, enacting the 10-run mercy rule to end the game.
"They had a good pitcher who mixed his pitches," Franco said. "We were able to adjust and get a big inning. The kids created their own rally. The pressure was off and their bats came alive."
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