Angels lose, but keep heads high

HUNTINGTON BEACH ? The scoreboard said flat line, but the Costa Mesa American Little League Angels were out to prove its Minor A season still had a pulse.

The Angels entered the bottom of the third down by 18 runs. But it was no time to give up. The Angels rallied for four runs in the bottom of the inning to break up the shutout and no-hitter. However, the Angels still lost 22-4 in four innings to a Fountain Valley team with the same nickname in the opening round of the District 62 Tournament of Champions at LeBard Park Tuesday night.

In three innings at the plate, Fountain Valley’s top four hitters were unstoppable, going eight for eight, while driving in eight runs, scoring nine more and spraying line drives all around the field.

Costa Mesa Manager Mike Pawinski said Fountain Valley’s results looked familiar.

“That’s what we did to teams all season,” Pawinski said.

Then came the bottom of the third and the Angels showed signs of what made them the No. 1 seed from their league.

Catcher Conner Howard led off the inning by ripping a ground ball deep into the hole between shortstop and third base and beating out the throw for the Angels’ first hit of the game. Howard’s teammates leapt off the bench in excitement and would soon follow suit.

With his team down, Howard was aggressive on the base paths, stealing second and third base. Right fielder Wyatt Ferris drove Howard in with a triple over the right fielder’s head to give the Angels their first run.

“We wanted to win,” Ferris said. “It just didn’t happen today. We weren’t doing our job. We were nervous.”

But not in the third inning. After a strikeout, right fielder Eric Harmond drove Ferris in with a single to center field. Second baseman Chris Orozco followed with his own single to center field, but it was hit too hard and Harmond was thrown out at second base.

A wild pitch sent Orozco to second and left fielder Kris Cardenas drove him in with a double over the center fielder’s head to give the Angels their third run. Steven Kipp added the team’s third extra-base hit of the inning with a double off the left-field fence.

“I was just thinking of confidence,” Kipp said. “We kept our heads up. We stuck in the game.”

With the season in the rear view mirror, the Angels reflected on their favorite moments of the season.

“Our first game,” Pawinski said. “We stepped up and beat the other team.”

“The first game we blew them out,” Kipp said.

For Ferris, the best moment was a regular-season game in which he hit a double and a triple.

“It was probably my best game,” Ferris said. Michael Pawinski summed up the season.

“Excitement, amazing, commitment, dedication,” he said. “That’s what the kids did the whole season. The kids kept their heads up. It was a great year.” Fountain Valley plays the Costa Mesa National Pirates Saturday at 9 a.m. at LeBard Park.dpt.14-littleag-1-kt-BPhotoInfo511RV0GT20060614j0tx7jncKENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)Costa Mesa American catcher Conner Howard tries to tag out Fountain Valley’s John Volkert at home plate during the District 62 Tournament of Champions at the Seaview Little League fields in Huntington Beach on Tuesday.