:Mesa rallies late, but is eliminated

WESTMINSTER ? The Costa Mesa National Little League 10- and 11-year old Division All-Stars will probably choose to recall the last three innings of their semifinal game against Seaview on Tuesday night rather than the first three.

Costa Mesa dug itself a six-run hole in the first three innings, before battling back for five runs. Costa Mesa sent the tying run to the plate in the top of the sixth inning, but its comeback fell short in a 9-5 loss at Johnson Middle School in the District 62 All-Star Tournament.

The Costa Mesa National All-Stars finish their season with a 2-2 tournament record. Seaview moves to 3-1 and faces Ocean View in the District 62 championship game tonight. Seaview was enjoying a big third inning when Costa Mesa Manager Rob Stillman did something he didn’t want to do: bring in ace pitcher Tyler Rios.

Stillman was hoping to keep Rios fresh for a possible championship game against Ocean View, but Seaview was running away with the game, which forced his hand.

“We tried to get through the game without throwing him,” Stillman said. “But we were down, 6-0, and we had to go to him.”

Rios ended up striking out three batters in each of his three innings.

Costa Mesa showed signs of life at the plate in the fifth inning. Jeff Carlyle (two for three with two runs) opened the inning with a single to right field and Jesse Paz (two for three with two runs) walked. Aaron Wood walked to load the bases with one out. Then Carlyle scored the team’s first run on a wild pitch thrown to Jacob Stone, who eventually walked.

After Seaview’s second pitching change of the night, Chad Fackler hit a sacrifice fly to right field to bring home Costa Mesa’s second run and cut the lead to 6-2.

Seaview picked up three runs in the fifth inning on an infield single, a triple, an error, two wild pitches and a hit batsman, but Rios still notched three strikeouts in the inning.

Costa Mesa sent nine batters to the plate in a wild sixth inning. The team’s rally all came with two outs.

Carlyle drew a two-out walk and Paz came through with Costa Mesa’s hardest-hit ball of the night, a long line drive to left-center field that went for a ground-rule double. Carlyle scored on a wild pitch, Rios reached on an infield single that brought home a run and Stone had an RBI single to left field to cut Seaview’s lead to 9-5.

Chad Fackler was hit by a pitch to load the bases and send the tying run to the plate, but Costa Mesa’s last hitter went down swinging and the comeback attempt fell short.

“We didn’t come back until the fifth or sixth inning, but we did make a comeback,” Stillman said. “We didn’t quit.”

Stillman still held out hope, even when his team was down, 9-2, going into the sixth inning.

“I liked our chances,” he said.

Costa Mesa’s comeback was valiant, but its play in the early innings proved to be too much to overcome.

“Walks, wild pitches, passed balls,” Stillman said. “We let guys run around the bases too much. But the kids can remember the last three innings, not the first three.”

Paz, Rios and Carlyle combined for all five of Costa Mesa’s hits against four Seaview pitchers. Wood walked all four times he came to bat.