District up for grabs

Eight leagues. Six days of competition. Four banners at stake.

The scope of the District 62 Tournament of Champions encompasses four local cities and sweeps with it the hopes of Little League baseball teams from Huntington Valley, Ocean View, Robinwood, Seaview, Fountain Valley, Costa Mesa American, Costa Mesa National and Westminster.

Those teams begin their quests for a coveted district banner when tournament competition commences Saturday.

The top two teams in each league will be competing in the district’s Majors, Minor A and Minor B tournaments, with eight teams competing in the Junior League tournament.

Ocean View will host the Area 1 side of the bracket and Seaview the No. 2 side in Major, Minor A and Minor B division play. Westminster is hosting the Junior League tournament.

Three first-round games will be played at all three sites on Saturday, with another first-round game in each division to be played Monday.

The area semifinals are Tuesday and Wednesday, area finals are June 19 and the championship game in each division will be played June 21. The Majors, Minor A and Minor B divisions title games will be played at 10 a.m. at Ocean View, and the Junior League final will be played at 1 p.m. at Westminster.

Last year, Huntington Valley won district banners in both the Major and Minor A divisions, and Robinwood claimed titles in both Minor B and Junior League.

“The Tournament of Champions is a great way to extend the season and play more baseball,” said Mark Groh, administrator of District 62. “The kids have played together the whole season, and I think they look forward to extending the season and bringing home that championship banner.”

The kids do.

Twelve-year-old Gordie MacDonald of the Huntington Valley Majors Division Cardinals knows the thrill of not only participating in the event, but also winning a championship banner.

MacDonald played last year for the Huntington Valley Yankees, who in the district Majors title game used five home runs to rally from six runs down to beat Ocean View, 15-8.

“It’s really a fun experience,” MacDonald said of the tournament. “It’s really cool because you get things like pins and hats and you get to wear them at the field. I had a blast last year when we won. It was my first year playing in the Tournament of Champions.”

This year, MacDonald is playing for Manager Steve Bogard’s Huntington Valley Cardinals, who play their Majors tournament opener Monday against Ocean View’s No. 2.

“Our coaches told the kids from Day 1 that they need to work hard to get to the Tournament of Champions,” he said. “We’ve had five or six kids on this team play in the tournament before. This year, we set making the tournament as a goal so that the other kids on our team can enjoy the experience.

“It’s a wonderful community event. You get to see familiar faces, and everyone seems to embrace the competition. We’re very blessed to be playing Little League Baseball in Huntington Beach.”

THE SCHEDULE

Saturday

at Ocean View Little League

Majors Division

 9 a.m.: Ocean View No. 1 vs. Westminster No. 2

 Noon: Robinwood No. 1 vs. Costa Mesa National No. 2

 3 p.m.: Costa Mesa American No. 1 vs. Seaview No. 2

Minor A Division

 9 a.m.: Ocean View No. 1 vs. Costa Mesa National No. 2

 Noon: Fountain Valley No. 1 vs. Huntington Valley No. 2

 3 p.m.: Costa Mesa American No. 1 vs. Westminster No. 2

Minor B Division

 9 a.m.: Robinwood No. 1 vs. Costa Mesa National No. 2

 Noon: Costa Mesa American No. 1 vs. Huntington Valley No. 2

 3 p.m.: Ocean View No. 1 vs. Seaview No. 2

at Seaview Little League

Majors Division

 9 a.m.: Westminster No. 1 vs. Fountain Valley No. 2

 Noon: Costa Mesa National No. 1 vs. Costa Mesa American No. 2

 3 p.m.: Seaview No. 1 vs. Robinwood No. 2

Minor A Division

 9 a.m.: Costa Mesa National No. 1 vs. Costa Mesa American No. 2

 Noon: Westminster No. 1 vs. Fountain Valley No. 2

 3 p.m.: Seaview No. 1 vs. Robinwood No. 2

Minor B Division

 9 a.m.: Huntington Valley No. 1 vs. Robinwood No. 2

 Noon: Westminster No. 1 vs. Fountain Valley No. 2

 3 p.m.: Seaview No. 1 vs. Ocean View No. 2

at Westminster Little League

Junior League

 9 a.m.: Seaview No. 2 vs. Robinwood No. 2

 Noon: Robinwood No. 1 vs. Huntington Valley No. 2

 3 p.m.: Huntington Valley No. 1 vs. Seaview No. 2

Monday

at Ocean View Little League; all games at 5:30 p.m.

Majors Division

 Fountain Valley No. 1 vs Huntington Valley No. 2

Minor A Division

 Robinwood No. 1 vs. Seaview No. 2

Minor B Division

 Ocean View No. 1 vs. Seaview No. 2

at Seaview Little League; all games at 5:30 p.m.

Majors Division

 Huntington Valley No. 1 vs. Ocean View No. 2

Minor A Division

 Huntington Valley No. 1 vs. Ocean View No. 2

Minor B Division

 Costa Mesa National No. 1 vs. Costa Mesa American No. 2

at Westminster Little League

Junior League

 5:30 p.m.: Fountain Valley vs. Westminster.

MIKE SCIACCA covers sports. He can be reached at (714) 966-4611 or by e-mail at [email protected].