Ocean View eliminated in Section 5 tournament

Mike Sciacca

District 62 champion Ocean View Little League’s 9/10 Division

All-Star team was eliminated from the Section 5 All-Star Tournament

Monday night after a 13-3 loss to Tustin Western Little League at

Olive Park in Orange.

Ocean View had lost its opener Saturday in the double-elimination

tournament, falling 11-2 to North Mission Viejo All-Stars. Manager

Wade Caron’s squad bounced back on Sunday to stay alive in the title

hunt with a 7-4 win that eliminated Continental Little League of La

Palma.

Against Tustin Western, bad hops and errors took Ocean View out of

the game in its early stages, which was called after 3 1/2 innings

because of the 10-run mercy rule.

Ocean View did rip Tustin Western pitching for 10 hits in four

innings.

Brett Urabe led the offense with a 3-for-3 game at the plate. Josh

Berry went 2-for-2 and Jake Caron, Devin King, Austin Barlow, Tim

Larson and Frankie Pacheco each had a hit.

“We are so proud of our players and proud of the heart they showed

throughout the postseason,” Ocean View Coach Lee Barlow said. “We

really came together as a team and have many, many, great shared

experiences that we will carry with us into next season and the rest

of our lives.”

Errors on defense -- in addition to its usually potent offense

being held to just two runs by North Mission Viejo pitcher Ryan Barr

-- doomed Ocean View in its 11-2 tournament-opening loss.

Against Continental Little League, Ocean View got off to a

precarious start as it fell behind 3-0 on Dan Martinez’s three-run

home run in the top half of the first inning.

Ocean View scored its first run in the bottom of the first when

King doubled home Urabe, who led off with a walk. Ocean View took the

lead for good by scoring three runs in the third inning on hits by

Urabe, Pacheco, Caron and Larson to go on top 4-3.

A three-run fifth inning put Ocean View in command. With one out,

Casey Hayes beat out an infield grounder to start the rally. Two

batters later, Austin Barlow took the first pitch offered him for a

three-run home run over the left-field fence for a 7-3 lead.

Continental scored one run in the top of the sixth but could get

no closer.

Larson got the win for Ocean View in relief.

Ocean View compiled an overall postseason record of 6-3 through

District 62 and Section 5 play.