Sports
Babe Ruth: Tri-Valley 14s Earn Walk-Off Win in Extras
Tri-Valley can clinch NorCal championship with a win on Friday.
Tri-Valley 4, Bel-Mateo 3 (8 innings)
Records: Tri-Valley (3-0), Bel-Mateo (1-1)
The Star: Tri-Valley reliever Sam Nathan threw 6 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, scattering four hits in a 4-3 win.
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The Turning Point: With runners on second and third with two outs in the eighth inning, Bel-Mateo's Josh Elich hit a high chopper, but was a step behind Tri-Valley shortstop Cameron Santos' throw to end the threat in top eight. Tri-Valley carried the momentum behind that great play, and won the game in the bottom half of the inning.
The Quote: "The boys came out here with one goal, the goal was to get out of state and see what happens in regionals. We're one game away from that so I'm really proud, they've done a great job," Tri-Valley manager Paul Pluschkell said.
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Who's Next? Tri-Valley will play the winner of today's Woodland/Bel-Mateo match-up, on Friday at 5 p.m.
The Bottom Line: An extra innings win leaves Tri-Valley a game away from clinching the Northern California 14 year-olds Babe Ruth Championship.
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What seemed like a routine ground ball went out of the grasp of Del-Mateo shortstop Kyle Kaye's glove and into right field. With it, the run Tri-Valley needed to almost grasp the Northern California Babe Ruth Championship crossed home plate.
Noah Robbins hard grounder was too tough for Kaye to handle and Jake Dronkers scored the winning run for Tri-Valley in a 4-3 walk off win in eight innings.
"It's too bad that a game's decided on an error, but it was a hard hit ball," said Tri-Valley manager Paul Pluschkell.
After Daniel Jackson reached base with a single to start the eighth, Dronkers got on with a bunt single. Jackson was thrown out a third when Ryan Anderson grounded into a fielder's choice, but Robbins bounced a 3-2 pitch that Kaye couldn't control to bring home Dronkers.
"I knew if D.J. (Jackson) got on in front of me I'd be trying to bunt him over and I just wanted to get one down the first base line to try to get him over to second and I ended up getting on," said Dronkers.
It was the second extra-innings victory in as many days for a Tri-Valley Babe Ruth team. The 13-year-olds won 4-1 in nine innings on Tuesday over East Sacramento.
"I felt really strong about our team," Pluschkell said. "(But) we didn't execute. We (usually) get our bunts-and-runs or suicides, we didn't do that today."
Tri-Valley got off to a hot start in the bottom of the first. Casey Soltis and Daniel Jackson each singled and Donkers was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Ryan Anderson then singled to bring in Soltis before Noah Robinson singled to left to bring in Jackson and Donkers for an early 3-0 lead.
Bel-Mateo starting pitcher Blake Peters lasted only 1/3 of an inning, but he wasn't on the hook for long. His team tied the game in the next half inning. Tri-Valley starter Soltis walked in a run, and hit a batter to force in another run. Josh Berritua's single drove in Anthony Ramirez tying the game at 3-3.
Sam Nathan held the tie for Tri-Valley the rest of the way, pitching 6 1/3 innings of shutout ball, and didn't allow a hit until the sixth after coming on in the second.
"I felt like I was throwing harder as the innings went," said Nathan. "When runners got on, it just made it harder for them to get good wood on the ball."
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Tri-Valley 4, Bel-Mateo 3 (8 innings)
Bel-Mateo 030 000 00 — 3 7 3
Tri-Valley 300 000 01 — 4 9 2
Bel-Mateo — Kaye 2-0-0, Berritua 4-0-1, Severson 3-0-0, Sterling 4-1-1, Peters 3-0-0, Ramirez 2-1-1, Sick 2-1-2, Hahn 2-0-1, Elich 3-0-1. Totals 25-3-7.
Tri-Valley — Sprugasci 3-0-1, Soltis 4-1-1, Jackson 4-1-2, Dronkers 3-2-2, Anderson 2-0-1, Robbins 3-0-1, Vincent 1-0-0, Nathan 2-0-0, Franco 2-0-0, Santos 3-0-1. Totals 27-4-9.
Pitching
Bel-Mateo — Peters 1/3 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 H, 0 K, 0 BB; Severson 7 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 6 K, 0 BB.
Tri-Valley — Soltis 1 2/3 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 H, 0 K, 1 BB; Nathan 6 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 K, 1 BB.
Hitting — None.
