Junior All-Stars finish amongst top 4 at state

PEORIA – Douglas’ Junior All-Stars finished amongst the top four teams at the state Little League tournament last week falling 13-3 in the state semifinals to Casa Grande.

Casa Grande would go on to lose to Phoenix Mountain View 11-5 in the state finals. Mountain View won the state championship last year beating a Douglas squad coached by Eliseo Daniel.

Fourteen teams from all over the state competed in the two week tournament which featured a six game round robin tournament followed by a three game single elimination tournament.

The 14 teams were placed in two pools and unlike previous years when just the top two teams advanced to the tournament, the field was expanded to four this year.

Douglas posted a 3-3 record in its pool and landed the fourth seed as a result of their record.

Mountain View won the pool Douglas was in followed by Casa Grande and Sunnyside.

All four teams in Douglas’ pool would advance to the state semifinals. Mountain View would beat Sunnyside of Tucson 10-3 and Casa Grande knocked off Douglas.

Things did not get off to a good start for Douglas in the game with Casa Grande. Douglas’ starting pitcher Grant Watkins walked the lead off batter then hit the next batter. Both Casa Grande players would come around to score taking a 2-0 lead.

Alexio Esquer’s fielders choice in the top half of the third would score David Vasquez as Douglas cut Casa Grande’s lead to 2-1.

Casa Grande responded with two more runs in the bottom half of the inning increasing its lead to 4-1.

Douglas made the score 4-2 in the fourth when Brian Lomeli scored on a passed ball.

Casa Grande responded with two more runs in the bottom half of the fourth increasing its lead to 6-2.

Douglas was trailing 9-3 going into the bottom of the sixth when Casa Grande scored four runs taking a 13-3 lead and forcing the game to be stopped on account of the 10-run mercy rule.

The day before losing to Casa Grande the District 8 champions beat Mesa American, the No. 1 team from the other pool in the tournament, 11-8.

Brian Lomeli started the game on the hill for Douglas and ended up taking the win. Gabe Melgoza and Nick Ortega each threw in relief.

The Douglas all-stars began the game sending nine batters to the plate and scoring three runs taking a 3-0 lead.

Watkins and Cormier each scored for Douglas in the second as Douglas increased its lead to 5-0.

Mesa American scored twice in the top of the third cutting Douglas’ lead to 5-2.

Esquer and Melgoza each scored for Douglas in the fifth increasing their lead to 7-2.

Watkins hit an inside the park home run in the sixth giving Douglas an 8-3 lead.

Up 11-5 going into the bottom of the seventh, Mesa American scored three runs and had the bases loaded when the final out came.

The Douglas all-stars coached by Eddie Hurtado, Paco Esquer, Shawn Leigh and George Watkins went 9-5 overall going 5-1 at the District 8 tournament and 4-4 at state.

In the majors tournament Arrowhead Little League of Phoenix beat Tucson CDO Little League 12-2 to win the state championship. District 8 champion Nogales went 2-4 in pool play and did not make it to the championship round.

At the 10-11 state tournament in Nogales District 8 champions Nogales, who won the championship in Douglas, went 4-0 in pool play but lost to McCormick Little League 7-4 in the first round of the championship tournament.

Canyon Del Oro went on to win the state title beating Gilbert American 16-10.

At the 9-10 year old state tournament in Mesa District 8 champion Rio Rico won the state championship beating Arrowhead 6-4.