Special to this Newspaper
CALEXICO- The Calexico Little League 10-year-old All-Stars captured the California Little League District 22 10-year-old All-Star Tournament, going undefeated throughout the double-elimination tournament and defeating the Yuma All-Stars 15-2 in the championship game.
“Their bats were on fire and last year we were the 8-year-old champions last year so we had a mix of nine and ten-yearolds with tournament experience,” Calexico All-Star manager Mateo Sauceda said. “We had the first game before the regular bracket started so we won five games, one more than usual but it was just one more game for them.”
After losing the coin flip and being designated the visiting team at Alex Rivera Field in the Border City, Calexico’s 10-year-old All-Stars 10-run-ruled Yuma, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning, adding two runs in the top of the second before scoring ten runs in the top of the third.
The Calexico All-Stars had several players with multiple hits including Ruben Sigala who went a perfect three-for-three at the plate and scored two runs.
Coming up with two hits each in two official at-bats for the Calexico 10-year-old All-Stars were Gael Antunez, Ian Cortez, and Julian Solano who each scored two runs.
Calexico All-Stars Damian Medina banged out two doubles and drove in a game-high four runners while Santiago Ibarra, and Maykdel Jova each had two hits with
Ibarra collecting three RBIs and Jova two RBIs.
“Every game in this tournament we had a different Player of the Game,” Sauceda said “We used a straight line-up with twelve batters and they all hit but Medina was the guy who always came with hits and RBI’s.”
Jova was also the winning pitcher for the Calexico 10-year-old All-Stars, hurling three and one-third innings, striking out seven Yuma All-Star batters and surrendering two runs.
“For the past three years Jova has been the ‘go-to’ guy in big games and he put people on base but always finished the inning strong,” Sauceda said.
Removed from the game in the fourth and final inning after one out because he had reached his pitch count for the game, Calexico’s Jova gave way to Ian Cortez who retired the next two Yuma batters to seal the championship.
The Calexico 10-yearold All-Stars swept through the District 22
Tournament, winning 20-1 against El Centro, 17-6 over Imperial, 19-4 in a winners bracket game against Yuma before beating them in the championship game.
Calexico’s toughest game in the District 22 All-Star tournament came in another winner’s bracket contest where they narrowly defeated the Brawley 10-year-old All-Stars by a score of 6-5.
“That game taught me a lot about our team, we were down 5-3 in the top in the sixth,” Sauceda said. “But Humberto (Sierra) drove in the tying run and Damien had the game-winning hit...that was the toughest game we had.”
The Calexico All-Stars now advance to the California Little League Section 7 10-year-old All-Star double-elimination Tournament which begins on July 12th and will be hosted by District 66’s Spring Valley Little League.