News and Announcements
Registration will start toward the fist week of November
Return to this website the first week of November to register your baseball and T-ball players age 5-14 as of next April 30 2009, and softball players age 7-14 as of Dec. 31, 2008.
The web has lots of great sites for coaches and managers to improve their skills. Here are a few -
(You will need the authentication code for our league - 145332) The site is free, but you will need to refresh your account every year.
Manhattan Beach Softball All-Star Update 2008
Sunday, July 27
The Manhattan Beach 11 yr old Softball All-Star team came back from an 8-4 deficit, to beat Grand Terrace 14-10, to clinch the Southern California Division III Championship tonight in West Long Beach.
The Manhattan Beach 10-11 year old All Stars went into the Softball Southern State Championship Tournament with high hopes, having gone 3-0 while picking up the Section 4 banner the previous week.
Down to 10 players due to Christie Carey's broken foot, the 10-11s took the field on Saturday July 19th against the Rolando Little League All Stars.
Starting their tournament trend of getting down early, Manhattan Beach would find themselves behind by 2-1 after 2. But the team never got down, and started a much more positive trend of coming out swinging in the later innings.
A double by Taylor Balen and consecutive singles by Gigi Franco and Natalie Perez keyed a 7 run outburst in the 4th inning for Manhattan Beach.
A 5 run 6th inning put the game out of reach, and defensive plays by Lila Tatum and Gigi Franco helped keep Rolando's bats at bay.
Taylor Balen continued her strong work on the mound, going 6 innings and ending the game on another changeup strikeout, her 10th K of the game.
The final score was MB 18, Roland 5, and MB advanced to the next round.
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Game Two of the tournament took place on July 21st and pitted the Manhattan Beach team against The Grand Terrace Little League All Stars.
Starting a little slowly in the field, Manhattan Beach went down 0-5 in the first inning, but would put the clamps down on the Grand Terrace bats and not allow them to score a run the rest of the way.
Mary Dawson was a rock at the pitcher's plate, going all four innings in a game cut short by the 10 run mercy rule. Her steady presence calmed the Manhattan Beach defense down, and she kept her team in the game, not only with her pitching, but with her bat as well.
In another strong offensive inning, Manhattan Beach rallied for 10 runs in the 3rd, taking a 15-5 lead and never looking back. Home runs by Shannon Savino and Mary Dawson keyed the offensive outburst, with timely hits by Aarin Henning and Brooke Feld.
Manhattan Beach finished the game with a final score of 17-5, their fourth mercy out of the 5 games played up to that point.
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Coming out of the winner's bracket, Manhattan Beach would again face the Grand Terrace All Stars, this time for a shot at the Southern State Championship.
The game held on July 26th saw Manhattan Beach start out slowly again in the field. A few mental miscues got the team in a hole early, but the girls never put their heads down and were hopeful that they could come back as they had done in previous games.
A home run in the 2nd by Brooke Feld rallied the team, and kept their hopes alive as they struggled to put some runs across the plate.
Down 9-3 after 2, Manhattan Beach stormed back in the 3rd inning, scoring 10 runs with key hits by Shannon Savino, Jillian Gearin, and a home run by Taylor Balen.
Buoyed by their offensive explosion, Manhattan Beach would tighten up the D, limiting Grand Terrace to only one run after the third inning. Grace Campbell had a rally killing catch in right field, and Natalie Perez stopped any hopes of a Grand Terrace comeback with a great catch in Center Field in the 6th.
With Mary Dawson having another solid game behind the plate, platoon mate Taylor Balen closed out her All Star action on the mound with her strongest game of post season play: walking three, striking out 13 and going the distance for her fourth consecutive win of the All Star Tournament.
With the final score of 14-10, the Manhattan Beach 10-11 year old All Stars stormed the field to collect their well deserved Southern State Championship Banner.
We want to thank all the parents and families for their support, without all of you, there would be no team to cheer for. And a big thank you to all of you who came out to support us during our games, the banner means nothing without people to share it with!
Friday, July 25
The 9/10 girls played a determined Loara LL all star team (East Anaheim) last night in Riverside for the State/Division III Championship and prevailed by a score of 6-2. The team did not lose a game during tournament play and scored 10 or more runs in every game except the final one. This marks the third straight year that the Manhattan Beach 9/10 softball all stars have brought home the State/Division III Championship.
Wednesday, July 23
The 10/11 girls have advanced to the State/Division III Championship game to be played this Saturday July 26, 4pm, at the West Long Beach LL field. The 9/10 girls play in Riverside tonight for the State/Division III Championship. Game time is 6pm.
Wednesday, July 16
Junior Softball Update - MB Stars Win Their First Section 4 Contest
The MB Junior Softball All Stars got off to a fast start and cruised to 6-1 victory
against North Venice in the Section 4 Tournament hosted
by Manhattan Little League at Marine West. The MB Stars relied upon the crafty
pitching of Kellie Wesser, Breanna Kelly and Ally Barry, supported by a strong
team defense to stifle the NV Stars. Whitney Pagnini got the
MB Stars started with a huge two out, bases loaded double in the 1st
inning, and Montana Morgan contributed 3 hits to a strong offensive effort
by the entire team. Annie Cipiti and Natalie Bowles anchored the defense
with stellar plays that led to two double plays in key situations, with
Kelsey Brandin flashing the leather at third base to kill a North Venice
rally.
The Junior Softball Stars square off against Westchester Del Rey LL in a
winner's bracket game at 7:30 p.m. Thursday night at Marine West.
Softball All Stars Updates:
MBLL softball all stars have won two Section 4 Championships and are advancing to the Southern California Division Tournaments for the 9/10s and 11s (details below). The Junior Softball All Stars commence play tonight, Wednesday, July 16, in the Section 4 Junior All Star tournament with a game against North Venice at 7:30 p.m. at Marine West.
Monday, July 14
The Manhattan Beach 10-11 year old Softball All Stars mercied the field on
their way to a 3-0 showing and collected the District 4 championship in
their first tournament.
On Thursday, July 10 the Manhattan Beach All Stars faced Westchester, and
behind key hits from Brooke Feld, Mary Dawson, Shannon Savino, Aarin
Henning and Jillian Gearing, took a quick 11-0 lead during the first
inning.
There was no looking back as Taylor Balen pitched all four innings, keeping
the Westchester hitters at bay.
The Manhattan bats would keep Westchester on their heels the entire game.
Several double plays in the field cut short any Westchester hopes of a
rally, and the mercy rule brought an early end to Manhattan Beach's first
game of the tournament.
Friday, July 11th featured Manhattan Beach against North Venice, and
showing no ill effects from having played 24 hours earlier, Manhattan Beach
jumped to a big lead and didn't slow down their offense barrage, scoring 27
runs in just four innings to take the game with a final score of 27-5.
Mary Dawson took the mound and was in control of the game from the start,
sending North Venice to defeat in her first start since last years 9-10 All
Stars took the state title.
Lila Tatum, Christie Carey, Grace Campbell, Natalie Perez and Gigi Franco
all recorded hits in the game to guide their team to victory.
Sunday July 13th - The Championship game started at 1PM, and featured
Westchester and Manhattan Beach doing battle for the District Four
Championship.
Each player on the Manhattan Beach team painted the number of one of the
11-12 year old All Stars on their arm to show their support to the girls
who's All Star Tournament ended much too early.
In contrast to their previous game, the score was Manhattan Beach 1 and
Westchester 0 after two innings, but that would all change as Manhattan
Beach drove home 9 runs in the third and 7 in the fourth to complete the
triple mercy and end the game in four innings. With a final score of 16-0/
As in their previous game, every Manhattan Beach player came around to
score at least one time.
Taylor Balen pitched four innings, walking one and striking out 8. Only one
runner for Westchester reached third base. A changeup called strike three
ended the game, and the Manhattan Beach team rushed the field to collect
their District Four Championship banner.
The 10-11 year old All Stars will next face off in Long Beach on July 19 to
resume their quest for the State Title!
Sunday, July 13th
10/11s won 16-0 in four innings in a mercy and are Section 4 Champions.
They now proceed to the Division/State Championship, a double elimination
tournament against the winners from three other Sections.
9/10s play Monday at 7pm at Marine West for the Section Championship.
Manhattan Beach plays in the sectional championship game on Monday, July 14, at Marine West. Game time is 7pm.
9/10s. Mercied Westchester by a score of 13-0. Kasey Hutton pitched a no hitter. Again, there were lots of hitting stars. The girls used some well placed bunts to put pressure on the Westchester team in the early innings.
10/11s play tomorrow at 1pm at Ladera Little League.
11/12s. Bad news. A competing league complained and many of our players were disqualified because they were subs in the Juniors program. We couldn't field a team and had to withdraw from the Tournament. Very unfortunate news for a group of girls that have worked hard for this moment.
Thursday, July 10th
11/12 Girls defeated North Venice by a score of 9-0. Brooke Taylor pitched a no-hitter. The game was 0-0 into the top of the 5th, as the North Venice crafty left-hander had the MB girls off balance. MB put up 6 runs in the 5th. Singles by Carley Muller and Brooke Taylor set the table and Brooke Winterhalder, Mandi Yamada, Tori Jasuta, Sarah Lucenti, Lauren Farkas and Rachel Humphrey drove them home with RBI hits. In the 6th, Brooke Taylor and Brooke Winterhalder started the inning with walks and hits from Lauren Winterhalder, Jenna Lambert and Rachel Humphrey scored three runs.
10/11s. Mercied their opponent 16-6. I don't have much detail, but they were up 12-0 after one inning.
9/10s Manhattan Beach 9 & 10 Year Old Softball All Stars Win Sectional Opener.
The Manhattan Beach bats sizzled during a 16-0 win over West Torrance in the sectional opener. In the top of the first inning, Manhattan Beach scored 10 runs and never looked back. Kasey Hutton led off with a triple followed by 7 additional Manhattan Beach hits in the first. Manhattan Beach scored 6 runs in the second inning and coasted the rest of the way. Pitchers Kasey Hutton, Brittany Werre, and Nicole Shearin each contributed to the shut out. For the night offensively, Jenna McKinney went 3 for 4 with 3 rbi's, Brittany Werre went 3 for 4 with a double, triple, and 5 rbi's, and both Alyssa Zucker and Kasey Hutton went 2 for 4. Manhattan Beach now faces Westchester Del Rey on Saturday, July 12, at 12:30. You are invited to come out to Marine West for some exciting all star softball.
9 & 10 Softball All Stars - Section 4 Tournament Hosted by MBLL (Games at Marine West)
First game - July 11 at 7:30 p.m. (MBLL v. Winner of District 27 Tournament).
10 & 11 Softball All Stars - Section 4 Tournament Hosted by Ledera Little League
First game - July 10 at 5:30 p.m.
Directions:
405 Fwy North to La Cienega Blvd exit
Follow La Cienega North to Slauson Ave, turn Right
Follow Slauson Ave to S. Fairfax Ave, turn Left
Fields are on the left.
11 & 12 Softball All Stars - Section 4 Tournament Hosted by Westchester Del Rey LL (Carl Nielsen Youth Park)
First game - July 11 at 5 p.m.
Directions:
Go North on Sepulveda Blvd. approx 4 miles from MB
Turn Right on Westchester Parkway (1st signal north of LAX)
Go 2 blocks east
Turn Left on Will Rogers St.
Go 2 blocks,
Little League parking lot on right side. Softball field is on the southeast corner of park.
13 & 14 Softball All Stars - Section 4 Tournament Hosted by MBLL (Games at Marine West)
First game - July 16 at 7:30 p.m. (MBLL v. Winner of District 25 Tournament).
Other Section 4 teams include Dist 25 (No. Venice area), Dist 37 (West Torrance area) and Dist 36 (Manhattan Beach)
Tournmant Ladders can be found in the Handouts Tournament/All Stars Softball section.
Manhattan Beach Baseball All-Star Update 2008
July 23, 2008
9 & 10 Year Old MB Baseball All Stars Get Third Place in Southern California
The MB boys battled a tough Tustin team tonight in a game that could have gone either way. Tustin came out on top 4-2 in a hard fought battle.
MB (11/2 in All Star play) put on quite a show with their play through Districts, Sectionals, and State Tournament play and reached a level that has not been achieved in recent history. They equaled the best ever finish for MB 11&12 Year old All Star teams of 1969 and 1977 which also finished third in the State (Southern California). Records are not easily available for the 9&10 year old team history.
Our boys have worked hard for the last few years playing baseball 9 months a year in tournaments from San Diego to Chino Hills to Thousand Oaks to become the players and team they are and it is good to see them see the rewards of that effort.
Congratulations Boys.
July 23, 2008
The MB bats came alive and they went 18 for 31 at the plate (almost .600) scoring 14 runs in 4 1/3 innings in route to a 14/3 mercy win over Thousand Oaks Little League. The win earns them a berth in the Championship Series of the Northern Sub-Division of Southern California. As has become typical for the boys, big hits defined the game. In the first inning Will Proctor set the tone with a 3run home run and Kyle Hammerstein finished off the excitement via a walk-off (triggering the mercy rule) 2 run home run in the bottom of the 5th inning.
Robert White went 4 for 4 continuing his hot hitting in All Stars. Kyle (Country Bear) Hammerstein repeated his single, double, and HR performance from Monday while Zack Chan, Cameron Richter, Bobby Wymbs and Cameron Richter each collected two hits. Zack Chan started and pitched 4 strong innings keeping the momentum on the MB side. Blake (Sheep Dog) Hammerstein relieved Zack and threw heat as he shut down Thousand Oaks in the 5th and final inning.
The team plays next on Wednesday @ 5:15pm against Tustin Western @ Moorpark Little League.
July 22, 2008
MB 9&10 Team Gets Revenge at State Tournament
The MB 9 & 10 All Star Baseball team is still playing in the State Tournament. On Monday, Manhattan Beach 9 & 10 year old team (10-1 in All Star play) avenged their only loss and beat San Dimas 9-6 last night at the Moorpark Little League host site. The two games versus San Dimas provided a lot of close plays, solid hitting, and excitement. As Bill and Ted from the San Dimas team said: "it was a most excellent adventure for both teams as we ventured to Moorpark to play some great baseball." The win puts them at 2-1 in the State Tournament with a win Sunday over Section 2 Championship Burbank in between the two San Dimas games. On Sunday, Will Proctor lead the way with solid pitching and Nick Harry and Jimmy Shaw closed Burbank out for the win. On Sunday, they received key hits from Bobby Wymbs (double to the fence), Robert White, and Zack Chan. Reese Alexiades earned a run with some savvy base running.
On Monday, Jimmy Shaw lead the way with his pitching as he pitched a solid 4 innings yielding only 4 hits and 2 earned runs. Mixing up his change-up and fastball at the direction of Coach Mike Harry, he kept an extremely strong hitting San Dimas team off balance at the plate, quite an accomplishment. Kyle Hammerstein provided the margin of victory with at 3-run bomb over the left field fence in the 4th inning (he also had a single and double off the fence earlier) and Tommy Bothwell closed out the final 2 innings in exactly 20 pitches yielding only 2 hits.
In between, Will Proctor had two RBI hits, Robert White reached base twice, and the MB defense played well as San Dimas consistently put the ball in play. Cameron Richter scored a key run and kept an inning alive with a perfect slide around the catcher as he attempted to tag him in a close play at the plate. The MB boys hit well and made key plays all game.
The MB 9 & 10 All Stars play tonight against Thousand Oaks LL. Only 3 teams are left in our Sub-Division and only 6 teams are left in Southern California .
Wednesday, July 16
9-10 Year old Baseball All-Stars Win Section 4 Title
The Manhattan Beach 9-10 year old All-Star Team finished its three game sweep of the Section 4 Tournament with an 11-0, five inning win over North Venice in the Championship Game on Wednesday. The game ended on a walk off two run single by Bobby Wymbs to give the squad a mercy rule win. The All-Stars finished an amazing run which saw them outscore their opponents by the score of 30-0 in the three games. Jimmy Shaw got his 2nd win of the Section Tourney with a complete game 2-hitter; his performance lowered the team’s ERA during their 8 game unbeaten streak to a remarkable 0.88 as the MB staff has allowed only six earned runs in 41 innings pitched. Jimmy has not given up a run in 9 2/3 innings pitched this postseason and he’s struck out 18 while giving up only 3 hits! The offensive heroes of the championship game included third baseman Zack Chan who tripled and homered, second baseman Robert White who went four for four and scored four runs, and centerfielder Reese Alexiades who reached base in each of his plate appearances with a single and two walks. Reese now has an on-base percentage of .800 in the eight games that the team has played.
Over the weekend, Will Proctor and Zack Chan combined on a six hit shutout over North Venice in the Winner’s Bracket Semis. Will also went three for three with his second home run of the postseason, this time a three run shot. The Hammerstein twins, Blake and Kyle combined to go 8 for 13 during the Sectional tournament and every member of the team contributed to the wins with timely hitting and sparkling defense. Cameron Richter robbed North Venice’s Bryant DeGrate of a potential run scoring single in the first inning of the title game which helped set the tone for the remainder of the game. Brett Davis even took an early morning flight from New York after sitting in the rightfield stands at Yankee Stadium yesterday to make sure that he made it back for the game! Tommy Bothwell and Nick Harry have each contributed clutch hits and are integral parts of the pitching and catching staffs. Next up for the All-Stars is the Sub-Regional Tournament in Moorpark beginning this Saturday and hopefully continuing on through the week. Congratulations to Bob Wymbs and Mike Harry who have guided this great group of kids from the dugout.
The 12s lost last night and were eliminated. the score was 8-2. They lost to a very good Torrance team. Congratulations to the MLL team. They had a great run!
Monday, July 14
The 12s won on a walk-off, two run, home run in
seven innings. The final score was 2-0. David Odle pitched six shut out
innings and hit the home run.
We now have two boys teams in the Section Championship game for the first
time...well I don't know. This could be the first time ever. I know we had a 10-year old team play deep into the tournament in the late 90's. I don't have my Roster book with me, but the
history section had some information. I'm fairly certain, though, we
haven't had a baseball team reach the Sectional Championship game in this
millennium. And now we have two.
So if you want to witness history, you can do so tonight (12s) at 5:30pm in
North Venice. Or on Wednesday (10s) at 5pm at Wiseburn. If you are
waiting for next time, that could be a long wait.
Pass the word.
Sunday, July 13th -
Juniors. Lost to Santa Monica and were eliminated. Down by a score of 2-1
in the 6th, Brett Clark and Brendan Vinnicombe scored on a double by Peirce
Thue. Andy Burschinger relieved Masato Goda and pitched a scoreless bottom
of the 6th. MB went down quietly in the top of the 7th. In the bottom of
the 7th their number 9 batter flew out to center, then Andy gave up two
walks and a single. Peirce made an out at 1st, but with 2 outs, their #5
hitter hit a walk-off, grand slam, home run win the game 6 - 3. Congrats
to all the boys and Manager Neil Erickson and Coaches Ira Smith and Jim
Burschinger.
12s. Lost today to Torrance by a score of 8-6. They were down 4-0. Went
up 6-4 on the strength of a Thomas Lapham 3 run home run. Then gave up
four runs for the loss. Thomas started, but struggled and was gone in the
3rd inning. Quinn McCauley relieved and pitched well, but was hurt by
infield singles.They play again on Monday at 5:30pm at North Venice Little
League.
10s. defeated North Venice by a score of 8-0. Will Proctor started and
pitched four shut out innings followed by one inning each for Zack Chan and
Tommy Bothwell. Will Proctor hit a three run home run. On a day when a
stiff breeze was blowing in, it was hit the only way a ball could get out
of the park. A line shot just over the left field fence. They play at 5pm
on Wednesday in the Section 4 Championship game.
Saturday, July 12th
Juniors lost to Lennox by a score of 9-4. They play again tomorrow at 1pm. Lomita Little League.
12s. Mercied Culver city by a score of 12-2 in 5 innings. Jack Smith started and went four innings for the win. Justin Schottenhammer went one inning for the save. The game was close after three innings with MB up 2-1. A bad call hurt MB in the top of the 4th and allowed Culver City to tie the game at 2. MB put up four runs in the bottom of the 4th and 6 runs in the bottom of the 5th to finish the game. Jackson Vena was the hitting star with 2 doubles, a home run, 3 runs, and a bunch of RBIs. He hit a 3-run HR in the bottom of the 5th into a tough breeze. Center fielder Josh Cavallo threw out a runner at the plate in the top of the 4th to keep the game at 2-2. The boys play tomorrow at 4pm at North Venice Little League.
10s. Mercied Del Rey by a score of 11-0 in four innings. Jimmy Shaw pitched a no-hitter. Lots of hitting stars, but Robert White and Blake Hammerstein had key hits when the game was close. The team fielded superbly. The boys play tomorrow at Wiseburn Little League.
Thrusday, July 10th
The 12-year old All Star team took the District Championship with an 8-5 victory over PV. This is our first District Championship at the 12-year old level since 2003, so it is big news. Down by a score of 2-0, in the top of the 3rd inning, with two out, and being no-hit by the PV pitcher Matt Lopes, the #9 hitter Gregory French stepped up and hit a towering HR over the LF fence. The flood gates opened and MB scored 4, two-out, runs with doubles by Thomas Lapham and Jack Smith keying the rally. They added another run in the 4th on a two-out, HR, by Danny Kelleher. Two runs in the 5th on a two-out, HR, by Quinn McCauley (which was a great moment). And a final run in the 6th on a two-out, HR, by Jack Smith. PV loaded the bases in the 5th, which created a nervous moment, but the boys traded outs for runs (2 of them) and escaped with a lead. PV played with a lot of class and left it "all on the field." Actually, they took some of it off the field diving over the fence in attempts to catch HR balls. It was quite a sight. Thomas Lapham went the distance for the win. Congrats to Manager Eric Zucker and Coaches Jon Smith and Dave Odle.
Tuesday, July 8th
The MBLL 10s captured the District Championship with a walk-off, grand slam, home run by Will Proctor for a thrilling 6-4 victory over El Segundo. MBLL gave ESLL some runs early on errors. At the plate, they werefrustrated most of the game, including leaving the bases full in the bottom of the 5th. In the bottom of the 6th, MBLL trailed by a score of 4-1. ESLL was forced to change their pitcher because of pitch count. MBLL loaded the bases and scored one run when Will stepped up, with one out, and hit a grand slam home run for the win. It was a big win, because with a loss, MBLL would have needed to face Lars Nootbaum from ESLL in the second game. Lars had not given up a run in the Tournament over three games and had pitched a no-hitter. Yes, we could have beat him with Will Proctor on the mound, but it would have been a tough game. Congrats to Bob Wymbs, Mike Harry and Jeff Proctor. They play on Saturday at Wiseburn (Hawthorne) in Sectionals at 2pm vs. District 37.
The MBLL 12s lost to Palos Verdes by a score of 7-5. MBLL gave PVLL several runs in the game on errors, wild pitches/passed balls and by letting fly balls drop in the OF that should have been caught. MB also stranded lots of base runners early in the game and finished the game with two runners on base. That said, they fought to the end. A two run home run from Jack Smith, single home run from Jackson Vena and run producing hits from Justin Schottenhammer gave MB a chance. Danny Kelleher pitched well.
Good news.....the 12s get another shot on Thursday at 7pm at Clark field. Parking is an issue, so you may want to car pool. I would love to see everyone out there. Of course, some of our Softball Board members will
need to focus on their Tournaments, which are starting soon.
10/11's at Ladera vs. District 37 on Thursday (7/10) at 5:30pm.
9/10's at Marine West vs District 27 on Friday (7/11) at 7:30pm
11/12's at Westchester vs. District 25 (looks like North Venice) on Friday (7/11) at 5:30pm.
Monday, July 7th
Our 11s lost to El Segundo. They finished 3rd in the District Tournament. Congratulations to Manager Chuck Meyer and Coaches Mike McKinnon and Mark Desseran.
Saturday, July 5th
Manhattan Beach 10-year old All Star team advances
The Manhattan Beach 10-year old All Star team advanced to the Championship game of the District 36 Tournament with a 5-3 victory over El Segundo on Saturday, July 5th. The first Championship game will be played at Marine East on Tuesday night (7/8) at 7pm. If MB loses the first game in this double elimination tournament, they will play, again, on Thursday night 7/10) at 7pm.
Manhattan Beach and El Segundo have met many times over the years in All Star competition. The games have always been well played and close. The competition has always been friendly and healthy. This game was more of the same.
El Segundo was the visiting team and jumped out front with a run in the 1st inning against MB pitcher Will Proctor. MB came back to tie the score in the bottom of the 1st on a double by Robert White and consecutive walks to Cameron Richter, Zach Chan and Kyle Hammerstein. The bats were very silent until the top of the 4th when Tyler Smith of El Segundo scored on a wild pitch to give them a 2-1 lead.
Heading into the bottom of the 5th, MB was still down 2-1. Will Proctor got MB started with an infield single. After a walk to Zach Chan, Blake Hammerstein tied the game with a double. Jimmy Shaw beat out a bunt when the El Segundo third baseman hesitated on the throw. Zach Chan also scored on the play. After a strikeout and pop-up, Reese Alexiades drove home two more runs with a single. Will Proctor gave up an unearned run in the top of the 6th, but closed out the game for the complete game win.
In the game, Robert White was 2 for 4 with a double and run. Zach Chan was on base all three times with walks. In the field, Cameron Richter (SS) and Robert White (2b) were solid up the middle.
Tuesday, July 3rd
Manhattan Beach 9/10 Year old All Star teams eliminated
The second of the Manhattan Beach 9/10 Year old All Star teams was eliminated from the District Tournament on Thursday, July 3rd, by Palos Verdes. The final score was 25-11. As the score would attest, it was a wild game, with two good hitting teams. The youngest team in Manhattan Beach All Star history, fought hard to the very end and played with a lot of enthusiasm and heart. In the end, their pitching was not developed enough to compete with the older boys. It was a great experience for the boys and families.
It would be too much work to recap an entire game that ends in a score of 25-11. MB went down early in the game by a score of 7-1 only to score 7 runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning to take a 8-7 lead. Singles by Carson Phillips, Ryan White, David Arredondo and Jack Hock combined with six walks keyed the rally. Jack Hock actually had two singles in the inning as MB batted around. Unfortunately, Palos Verdes came right back to score 7 runs in the top of the 3rd inning. And two more runs in the top of the, 4th to take a 16-8 lead. In the bottom of the 4th, MB fought back with singles by Ryan White, Preston Thue and a walk to Evan Wong to load the bases. Michael Lebbin drove home two runs with a single to bring MB within striking distance at 16-10. Palos Verdes added 3 more runs in the top of the 5th, and 6 runs in the top of the 6th to take a 25-10 lead. MB added a run in the bottom of the 6th on singles by Jack Hock and Chad Coons, but fell short by a score of 25-11.
In the game Carson Phillips, Jack Hock, Michael Lebbin, Ryan White and Chad Coons all pitched. Preston Thue went 2-2 with 2 runs scored and an RBI. Chad Coons was 2 for 3 with a run and an RBI. Kelly Blake was 1 for 2 with a run and he almost made the play of the tournament on a diving attempt in right field, but the ball fell out of his glove. John Michael Beller had two walks and a run. Harrison Dulgarian and Trevor Franklin each added a walk and an RBI to the MB attack.
In the field, MB was solid committing only two errors. Ryan White and Preston Thue did a great job behind the plate in the tournament. 2nd baseman Sam Jones dove to stop several balls. All the MB pitchers threw strikes, but the bigger and more experienced boys from the other leagues had no problem hitting the MB pitching. PV was an offensive force scoring 14 runs in their other two victories One of the PV boys even hit a ball onto Marine Avenue in a different game.
The MB-2 two, with eight, 9-year old boys will gain from the experience. If the boys come back next year, they will be better prepared. Congrats to Manager Mike Lebbin, and Coaches David Coons and Steve White, for creating a great experience for the boys.
Monday, July 2nd
MBLL Juniors are Crowned District #36 Champions
The Manhattan Little Juniors All Stars defeated the Central Redondo Little League All Stars by a score of 17-7 on Wednesday night (7/2) to capture the District 36 All Star Championship. The game ended after 5 innings by virtue of the mercy rule. Manhattan Beach (MB) finished the District Tournament with three wins and no losses. They move on to the Sectional Tournament, which begins on July 12th in San Pedro.
The District Tournament started with the most improbable victory for the MB Junior All Stars. Facing the Hermosa Beach All Stars, and their star pitcher Turner Conrad, the MB Juniors found themselves down by a score of 8-2 in the top of the 7th inning (the last inning in a Junior game). With Turner tiring, Jackson Casady started the rally in the 7th by reaching on an error. Walks to Ryan Erickson and Braden Casady loaded the bases and lead to a pitching change. RBI singles from Brett Clark and Brendan Vinnicombe brought MB within striking distance at 8-5. A 6-4-3 double play scored the 6th run, but wiped the bases clean, An error, Kevin Lopez single, and hit batter loaded the bases again, bringing Carter Casady to the plate. Carter dropped a single into right field to score two runs, and tie the score. Dominic Costa allowed a walk, but shut HB down in the bottom of the 7th pushing the game into extra innings. In the top of the 8th, walks by Brett Clark and Brendan Vinnicombe combined with a double steal put Brett Clark on third. A sacrifice fly from Andy Burschinger brought Brett Clark home and pushed MB ahead by a score of 9-8. Dominic Costa put HB down in order in the bottom of the 8th for the victory. Jack Prassas and Andrew Baer paced HB with two doubles and two runs respectively. For MB, Brett Clark scored three runs and added two RBIs, Kevin Lopez added three hits and a walk, and Andy Burschinger added two important sacrifice flies.
Next up for the MB Juniors was the CRLL All Stars. The drama off the field surrounding out-of-league CRLL players proved to be more interesting than the on the field drama. MB jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st inning on walks to Ryan Erickson and Brett Clark, an RBI double by Brendan Vinnicombe, and RBI singles from Andy Burschinger and Christian Herrera. MB pushed their lead to 6-0 in the bottom of the 2nd inning on a single from Carter Casady, a double from Ryan Erickson and singles from Brendan Vinnicombe and Andy Burschinger. Carter Casady put CRLL down quietly in the first two innings, but CRLL put two runs on the board in the top of the 3rd inning to pull within 6-2. MB added a single run in the bottom of the 3rd when an RBI single from Ryan Erickson brought home Peirce Thue, who had singled earlier in the inning. Kevin Lopez went to the mound in the top of the 4th. He struggled with his control, but fought through the 4th and 5th innings allowing only three runs. Masato Goda closed out the game for the save. In the bottom of the 5th inning, the MB Juniors exploded for eight runs. A double by Dominic Costa started the inning. After a bunt single by Mosato and hit batter (Erickson) loaded the bases, a single by Jackson Casady and double by Brett Clark cleared the bases. Consecutive walks to Brendan, Andy and Christian reloaded the bases before singles by Dominic and Braden drove home the 15th runs and sealed the 15-5 mercy victory.
In the consolation bracket, CRLL defeated HBLL by a score of 9-2 behind the crafty left arm of Daniel Maroka. Jake Jiminez was the hitting star for CRLL with a bases clearing triple in the 4th inning. Eric Brown, Adam O'Rourke, Jake Jiminez and Johnny Albi each scored two runs.
On Wednesday night (7/2) MBLL and CRLL met in the first game of the Championship series. If MB won the first game, they would be Champions. If they lost, they would need to face CRLL in a second game on Thursday.
Mosato Goda went to the mound for MBLL versus Keanu Uini for CRLL. Mosato put CRLL down in order in the top of the 1st. In the bottom of the 1st, a single from Ryan Erickson, double from Brett Clark and walk to Brendan Vinnicombe loaded the bases. A double from Andy Burschinger brought home three runs. A Christian Herrera single scored a fourth run. In the top of the 2nd, the hard hitting CRLL team, added two runs. Adam O'Rourke started the inning with a walk. After a steal, a single by Johnny Albi scored Adam and a single by Michael Springman scored Johnny. MBLL answered with nine runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Carter Casady started the inning with a single. A walk to Ryan Erickson and a bunt single by Peirce Thue loaded the bases. Singles by Brett Clark and Brendan Vinnicombe brought home two runs. Consecutive walks to Andy Burschinger and Austin Beller added two more runs. A single by Dominic Costa and walks to Braden Casady and Ryan Erickson pushed the MB lead to 13-2. CRLL came back with three runs in top of the 3rd. A walk to Eric Brown, single by Peter Basaca and walk to Jake Jiminez loaded the bases. Singles by Johnny Albi and Keanu Uini brought home three runs bringing CRLL within 13-5. MBLL went down quietly in the bottom of the 3rd and CRLL added two more runs in the top of the 4th inning on a two out single from Peter Basaca, a walk to Jake Jiminez, an error, and an RBI double from Johnny Albi. With the score at 13-7, MB was concerned. In the bottom of the 4th, MB put up four runs with two out. Walks to Jackson Casady and Brett Clark started the two-out rally. A Brendan Vinnicombe single scored a run. A walk to Andy Burschinger and hit batter scored a run. A walk to Dominic Costa and a single by Mosato Goda pushed the score to 17-7 and created the mercy.
Back in April, when the MB teams were struggling to compete in co-play, an All Star victory seemed very unlikely. Through the coaching of Neil Erickson and Ira Smith, the MB Juniors developed into a team. They didn't have a dominant player, but they played well as a team, and battled to the end.
Manhattan Beach 12-Year Old All Star Win
The Manhattan Beach 12-Year Old All Star team fought hard for a 6-4 victory over a very talented and well-coached Palos Verdes team on Tuesday night at Clark field. These two teams know each other well, having played multiple times in District Tournaments over the years, including twice in the Championship games. Coming into this game, the series was tied at 3-3. And true to form, this game went back and forth, and wasn't decided until the last out. There is a lot of baseball left to be played, and another team will probably slip into the mix, but this was a nice win for the MB team that played three games in four days.
Manager Eric Zucker called it a team victory with all the boys contributing in some form. The scoring was paced by Cooper Griffith, Kyle Zucker and Jack Smith with timely hits from Greg Briskin, Justin Schottenhammer, Thomas Lapham and David Odle. On the mound, Justin Schottenhammer and Danny Kelleher battled hard against a good hitting Palos Verdes team. They were supported with great fielding plays by Jack Smith, Willy Hock, Thomas Lapham, Gregory French and Josh Cavallo.
MB was the home team for the game and started Justin Schottenhammer on the mound. The teams exchanged home runs in the 1st inning with Lucas Hodges (PV) and Jack Smith (MB) going deep. An error helped PVLL load the bases in top of the 2nd, but Justin induced a routine ground out to SS David Odle to close the inning. In the bottom of the 2nd inning, a one out single by Greg Briskin, and an RBI triple by Kyle Zucker, that landed just inside the RF foul line, put one run on the board. A Justin Schottenhammer single pushed the MB lead out to 3-1.
PV came right back in the top of the 3rd inning pushing across a run on a groundout. Further damage was avoided when 3rd baseman, Thomas Lapham, grabbed an infield chopper and flipped to catcher, Gregory French, for a tag at the plate. Again the inning ended with two PV runners on base. In the bottom of the 3rd inning, Cooper Griffith lead off with a single and moved to 3rd bases on two wild pitches. A Willy Hock sacrifice fly brought him home for a 4-2 lead.
The PV top of the 4th inning started with 2nd baseman Willy Hock taking a smash off his chest to throw out a runner at first. After a single, Lucas Hodges stepped up and deposited the first pitch over the left field fence to tie the score. That was the second home run of the game for the former MBLL player. Danny Kelleher came on in relief. The first batter singled and advanced to 2nd base on an error and to 3rd base on a wild pitch. A walk put runners on the corners, but Danny struck out the next two batters to end the threat. Manhattan Beach went down quietly in the bottom of the 4th inning.
Manhattan Beach was able to put PV down in order in the top of the 5th, but it required a diving stab of a line drive by 1st baseman Jack Smith which included a snow cone. In the bottom of the 5th, Cooper Griffith lead off with a single, followed by a Thomas Lapham double. David Odle then fisted a ball over the 3rd baseman's head to put MB out front 6-4.
Danny Kelleher faced the meat of the PV order in the top of the 6th. The inning started with center fielder Josh Cavallo making a nice play on line drive. Danny struck out the last two hitters to close the game. The next game for the MB-12s will be Saturday, 7/5, at 3pm versus El Segundo. All of the 11/12 games are played at Clark field in Hermosa Beach.
Manhattan Beach 10-Year Old All Star Continues Win Streak
The Manhattan Beach 10-Year old All Star team continued its winning ways with a 10-3 victory over Hermosa Beach on Wednesday, July 2nd. It was a good win versus a talented, well coached, HB team that played with a lot of heart. Next up for the MB 10's is the powerful El Segundo team on Saturday, 7/5, at Marine East. Game time is 3pm.
The MB 10s started their busy day at an Angel game where they were on national TV as special guests of Steve Phsyioc and Rex Hudler. Back in MB, they had the late game (7:30pm) at Marine East. MB sent Zach Chan to the mound against a HB team that featured some of the tiniest strike zones ever seen on a Little League field. MB was the visiting team and put two runs on the board in the top of the 1st inning on a Brett Davis walk, Will Proctor double and Blake Hammerstein single. HB loaded the bases against Zach in the bottom of the 1st, but he struck out the side to escape without any damage.
MB added another run in the top of the 2nd. Bobby Wymbs lead off the inning with a walk, moved to 2nd base on a Jimmy Shaw single, stole 3rd base and came home on a Robert White ground out. In the bottom of the 2nd, HB scored two runs. The first two runners went down quietly, but then two singles and an error loaded the bases. A single and walk scored two runs, but Zach got a pop up to short stop to end the threat.
MB continued their hitting ways in the top of the 3rd. Zach started the inning with a walk. After a double by Blake Hammerstein, consecutive wild pitches scored two runs. Bobby Wymbs walked, again, and stole 2nd base. Bobby went to 3rd on a wild pitch and eventually scored on a wild pitch. Tommy Bothwell went to the mound for MB in the bottom of the 3rd inning. Tommy put HB down on two pop-ups to short and a strikeout. MB went down quietly in the top of the 4th inning. HB loaded the bases in the bottom of the 4th, but Blake Hammerstein came in to close out the inning with a strikeout.
Reese Alexiades doubled to start the 5th inning and came home on a Bobby Wymbs single. Bobby eventually scored on a Robert White single pushing the MB lead to 8-2. HB came right back with a run in the bottom of the 5th versus MB pitcher Nick Harry. MB added two more runs in the top of the 6th. A single by Will Proctor, walk to Zach Chan and a double by Blake Hammerstein scored one run. A walk to Reese Alexiades loaded the bases. Zach was forced out at home by the short stop on a Bobby Wymbs grounder. Tommy Bothwell walked, to force in a run and finish the scoring with put MB up 10-3. Jimmy Shaw pitched a scoreless 6th inning to close out the victory.
This was definitely a team victory with five different boys pitching. Eight of the boys either scored a run or drove in a run. In the field, the MB 10s were solid only committing one error. Kyle Hammerstein caught a great game and Cameron Richter helped out with two put-outs at short stop.
