The Morgan Hill Pinto 'A' all-stars crowd around their section championship banner after beating Fremont 11-1 Tuesday in the tournament finals at Britton Field. Morgan Hill plays in the NorCal Finals starting at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Morgan Hill's Rick Martinez slides safely home as Fremont's Jacob George waits for the ball during the third inning of the Pinto Division section championship at Britton Field on Tuesday.
Bottles of sparkling cider popped open, "We Are The Champions" played over the loudspeaker and fans heaved water balloons at the pint-sized prodigies who had just done what no 7- to 8-year old Morgan Hill Pony Baseball team had done in six years.
For the first time since 2002, an MHPB Pinto Division squad is going to the NorCal Finals. That feat was secured Tuesday when the Morgan Hill Pinto 'A' all-stars won their host section championship game at Britton Field, defeating Fremont 11-1 in five innings.
It was a crowning achievement for Morgan Hill, which won all four of its contests in the five-team double-elimination tournament by way of the 10-run rule.
"We're undefeated!" one Morgan Hill player yelled.
"We're undefeatable!" a teammate added.
The green- and yellow-clad Morgan Hill all-stars certainly looked like it. Behind a combined two-hitter by pitchers D.J. Washington, Ryan Belluomini and Ricky Martinez, plus Billy Mazotti's 2-for-2 batting effort and Belluomini's three RBIs, Morgan Hill fired on all cylinders and never let up. The section champs totaled hits, including three by Martinez, stole seven bases and committed just two errors. They ended the game when Belluomini singled home Washington in the bottom of the fifth inning, putting the mercy rule into effect.
"This win - it's a great accomplishment for the kids," Morgan Hill coach Rick Martinez said amid rousing celebration in center field. "We have some good ball players on this team. They're aggressive and play smart - that's what you need to do to be successful at their age."
Both teams took the outcome in good spirit. With their section finals berths alone, Morgan Hill and Fremont advanced to this weekend's eight-team NorCal Finals tournament at San Pablo. Morgan Hill meets East Bay Section champion Brentwood at 4 p.m. Saturday at Kerry Hills School.
With another magical run, Morgan Hill can qualify for the World Series tournament - California's pinnacle of Pinto baseball.
"I think we're going to do well at NorCals," said Rick Martinez, who coached the Pinto Giants to a city championship in June. "It's a very competitive tournament. You're going against the best teams in the Northern California. We're a competitive team, though, and anything can happen at this level."
Against Fremont, Morgan Hill jumped 4-0 in the first inning with the help of run-scoring singles by Mazotti, the cleanup man, and P.J. Rochon. Ricky Martinez, who batted 3 for 4, pushed the lead to 5-0 in the second when he singled home Jordan Cardenas on a gapper to left-center field.
Washington, meanwhile, held Fremont scoreless through the first two innings despite putting runners at second and third. He worked two-plus innings, striking out three batters and surrendering one run on one hit for the victory. Washington also contributed three runs.
"We had great production all around," Rick Martinez said. "Good pitching, good hitting and, if you watched, we were smart on the base paths."
After Fremont's Isaiah Mays drove in Jamal Frenchwood to make it 5-1 in the third, Morgan Hill answered with five more runs in the bottom half. Cardenas highlighted that stretch with a first-pitch two-run double to right field, scoring Rochon and Nolan Cisewski. Belluomini put two more runs across on a fielder's choice, then struck out the side in the fourth.
Ricky Martinez pitched a scoreless fifth inning and got help from Washington, who snagged a line drive to center in full stride.
"We have a mix of kids that can play infield and outfield, and they have fun doing it," Rick Martinez said. "They just want to get out there and make the most of their opportunities."
Frenchwood and Shae Cardenas reached base twice, and Zed Petitt Brown struck out three batters for Fremont, which ended the tournament at 3-2.
In other Pinto Division play, Morgan Hill's 'B1' all-stars were eliminated from sectional play after falling 10-0 to San Jose PAL on Saturday at Britton Field. Morgan Hill 'B1' opened the tournament with a tough 14-12 loss to the Blossom Valley '3' all-stars, in which Morgan Hill rallied for seven runs in the final inning. Morgan Hill's final out came with the tying run on base.
Mason Honda led Morgan Hill with a 4-for-4 batting effort while teammate Jared Jones went 3 for 5 with four RBIs.
In the Blossom Valley Section tournament, Morgan Hill's Pinto 'B2' all-stars were ousted with losses to Blossom Valley '1' and Morgan Hill's 'B3' all-stars, who ended the tournament with three victories. Morgan Hill 'B3' also beat Seaside 7-2 but fell to Blossom Valley '2' twice.
MH Pony all-stars nearing title game
Morgan Hill's Pony Division all-stars earned a rematch with Los Altos after winning an elimination game with Saratoga, 10-6, on Tuesday in the Pony-13 Section Tournament at Los Gatos.
Los Altos sent Morgan Hill into the loser's bracket with a 17-0 loss in the first round. Since then, Morgan Hill has survived two elimination games, edging Blossom Valley, 1-0, before beating Saratoga. Against Blossom Valley, Morgan Hill's Aidan Styczynski pitched six scoreless innings.
Results were late by press time, but Morgan Hill met Los Altos again Thursday. The winner advanced to play Santa Clara in the semifinals today at 10 a.m. The section championship series follows at 12:30 p.m. and, if necessary, continues at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Scott J. Adams Scott J. Adams covers Morgan Hill sports for South Valley Newspapers. Send him an email or call him at 779-4106.
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