Mariners top Rockies again

Bryce Alderton

The Costa Mesa American Little League Mariners and the Costa Mesa

National Little League Rockies wouldn’t have it any other way.

Facing each other for the third time this season Thursday at

LeBard Park in the first round of the District 62 Tournament of

Champions, the two Minor A teams (mainly 9- and 10-year-olds) again

played a one-run game. Like the two previous times, the Mariners

found a way to pull out the win, this time, 4-3.

The Mariners (12-11), who finished second to the White Sox in the

regular season, rode the arm of P.J. Maloney, who went six innings

for his fourth complete game of the season. Maloney struck out 12,

including the side in the fifth and got the final out of the game

with a nasty changeup.

After the final strikeout, Maloney raised both arms in the air and

embraced catcher J.T. McLucky as teammates huddled around them in

celebration. McLucky’s two-out triple -- hit over the drawn-in right

fielder in the top of the third -- plated three runs in a four-run

inning for the Mariners.

“We lost six games all year, three to [the Mariners],” Rockies

Manager Sean Patterson said. “There is something about [Maloney]. Our

kids could not hit him for beans. He threw changeups that we couldn’t

adjust to.”

Maloney also pitched in the two previous wins over the Rockies

earlier this season, including a no-hitter in a 2-1 decision.

The Rockies countered with solid efforts on the mound by starter

Josh Hill and ace Eusebio Castillo, who struck out eight in three

innings of scoreless relief while not allowing the Mariners a hit

during that span. Hill struck out five in three innings while

allowing four hits.

Patterson said he thought about bringing Castillo in during the

third inning, but decided to wait until the fourth so he could use

him today if the Rockies won Thursday. Under league rules, if a

pitcher throws four innings, he cannot return to the mound for

another four days.

Mariners Manager John Stephens wrestled with a similar decision

regarding Maloney.

“When I put him out there to start the fourth, I just decided to

let him go as long as he could,” Stephens said. “He kept throwing

strikes.”

Stephens will send Tyler Sheffner to the mound today when the

Mariners face the winner of the Robinwood league champion or the

second-place team from Fountain Valley at noon at LeBard Park.

For the last three weeks of the season, the Mariners have spent

about a quarter of their practice time on hitting. The preparation

paid off, if only for a short time, in the four-run third.

A leadoff double by James Lewis followed by consecutive walks to

Matt Logue and Austin Knott loaded the bases with no outs. Following

a strikeout and a pop out to second, Mariners first baseman Martin

Mysinski singled sharply to center to plate one run, with each runner

advancing a base. That kept the bases loaded for McLucky, who

delivered his three-run triple.

“I knew J.T. had it in him,” Stephens said of the clutch hit.

“Every time he gets up it is exciting. The whole place is charged. He

fears nobody.”

The Rockies (19-6), who finished in first place in their division,

would not go away, keeping the game close with two unearned runs in

the fourth.

Castillo walked with one out and advanced to third when Tommy

Price’s groundball hopped over the shortstop’s glove and rolled into

center field. The center fielder’s throw sailed onto the infield

grass, allowing Price to take second. Jeff Guillen’s soft-liner was

caught by the second baseman, but an alert Castillo took off after

the catch and slid home to beat the tag of the catcher. Hill knocked

in Price with the second run of the inning on a slow roller toward

the left side of the mound.

The score would stay 4-2 until the sixth. With one out, Pucky Cruz

went to second on a passed ball. The next batter -- Brandon Lewis --

popped out to the first baseman, but still recorded an RBI. Cruz,

tagging on the pop out, slid head first into third and when the ball

eluded the third baseman, he got up and scampered home. Earlier in

the inning Ramon Martin doubled over the center fielder’s

outstretched arm.

Each team tallied four hits. Mysinski, McLucky, Lewis and Sheffner

had hits for the Mariners while Marcus Hayes, Hill, Martin and

Castillo provided the offense for the Rockies.

Matt Mello, Tommy Stephens, Nathan Olson, Kyle Peterson and Dakota

Gilbert made up the rest of the Mariners’ lineup while Luke Roberts,

Kyle Orton, Sho Watanabe and Jessica Hayes all saw action for the

Rockies.

“Luck,” John Stephens said when asked why the Mariners beat the

Rockies all three times this year. “The ball bounced our way when we

needed it to. [The Rockies] had a great season.”