Players viewing victory

Mike Sciacca

The Ocean View Little League 9/10 All-Star team has taken its season

to the max.

First came a District 62 championship. Next, a run to the Section

5 crown.

This week, Ocean View is playing in the Southern California

Divisional tournament in San Diego.

The tournament, which draws eight section winners from Santa

Barbara to San Diego, is the pinnacle of the season for the 9/10

All-Stars.

Only Majors Division all-star teams can advance to play at the

Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

Here’s a look at Ocean View’s championship run in Section 5 play:

Ocean View 18, Orange 7

In the Section 5 championship game, Ocean View rolled past Orange

to claim the title.

Zachary Gates pitched five innings to earn the victory, striking

out seven and allowing five hits.

Ocean View gained control of the game in the fourth inning, when

it sent 13 batters to the plate and produced seven runs. The team

nearly matched that output in the fifth frame, sending 12 batters to

the plate and scoring six more runs.

Ocean View closed out the scoring in the top of the sixth by

batting through the order again, scoring five runs.

When it was all over, Ocean View had blistered Orange pitchers for

14 hits.

Casey Hayes had two hits, including a home run that blew the game

open; Jake Arledge had a pair of hits and scored three runs, and

Grant Mayeaux had three hits and scored three times. Wyatt Albert and

Jake Caron each had two hits.

The victory completed a clean sweep in the tournament for Ocean

View after defeating Little League All-Star district championship

teams from Loara, Orange, Cypress and Tijeras Creek.

“What you saw tonight was a team on a mission,” Ocean View manager

Gorden Gates said of the victory. “Our coaches, Mike Mayeaux and Zip

Atwood, have done a tremendous job in keeping these kids focused on

the task at hand. Without them, we would not be where we are at

today.

“Little League baseball is all about the kids and as you see them

running around the field with their Section 5 championship banner,

you realize they are 9-, 10-year-olds laughing, jumping, having fun.

That’s what Little League baseball is all about.

“As coaches and parents, we have a tendency to take the game a lot

more seriously than it should. You look at them running around the

field, and you realize they are boys, and boys want to have fun. In

the years ahead, they will remember these moments and realize that as

a team, they were part of something very special.”

Ocean View’s march to the Section 5 title featured every player in

its lineup contributing.

“Every player continues to make a contribution to our success,”

Gates said. “I am fortunate to be a part of this team and excited to

represent our league and the city of Huntington Beach as we head down

to San Diego this weekend to compete in divisional play as one of the

top eight teams in Southern California. Huntington Beach should be

proud of what our kids have done.”

Ocean View 10, Tijeras Creek 9

Ocean View fell behind by scores of 2-0 and 5-3, but rallied with

a six-run comeback in the bottom of the fourth inning to top Tijeras

Creek in a semifinal game.

Tyler Mildenberg led Ocean View on the mound and at the plate.

Mildenberg threw four innings, giving up three earned runs on five

hits to earn the victory.

Jacob Caron registered the final out to get the save.

At the plate, Mildenberg hit a grand slam in the bottom of the

fourth to give Ocean View the lead for good.

Jake Arledge and Zachary Gates each had two hits, and Casey Hayes,

Grant Mayeaux, Wyatt Albert, Ben Drolet, Max Gibbs and Dane Perkins

also had hits.