Ocean View takes Southern California title

Mike Sciacca

The Ocean View Little League 9/10 All-Stars completed their

postseason journey last weekend by defeating Claremont, 6-5, to win

the Southern California Division Championship.

The tournament, which is the end of the line for 9/10 All-Stars in

Southern California, was played at Chollas Lake in San Diego.

Eight section winners met for the Southern California crown.

Unlike the 11- and 12-year-olds of the Major all-star teams, who

continue to compete and earn their way to the Little League World

Series in Williamsport, Pa., this is the farthest that this age group

can advance in postseason play.

San Diego was Ocean View’s Williamsport.

“This team had it all -- pitching, defense, hitting and speed,”

Ocean View manager Gorden Gates said. “I would not have wanted to be

an opposing manager and have to face our lineup. This team believed

in itself, in each other, and never gave up. It’s been a great

all-star tournament, and Huntington Beach and Ocean View Little

League should be proud knowing we are bringing them home the Southern

California championship banner.

In the Southern California Division championship game, Ocean View

scored in the bottom of the first inning when Jake Arledge walked,

Zachary Gates singled, and Grant Mayeaux singled to drive in Arledge

and Gates.

Ocean View maintained its lead through the first four innings, as

Gates pitched well in shutting out Claremont.

In the top of the fifth, Claremont pieced together two singles and

a double to tie the score at 2-2. That tie didn’t last long, however,

as Ocean View came right back in the bottom half of the frame to take

the lead again.

Casey Hayes hit a solo home run, his seventh in tournament play,

to ignite a three-run inning. Mayeaux followed with a double to the

left field gap, and Jacob Caron singled and stole second, putting

runners at second and third. Dee Atwood hit a hard shot to second

base that couldn’t be fielded cleanly, which allowed both Mayeaux and

Caron to score.

Claremont came back to load the bases with two outs in the sixth

inning. Hayes came in to close out the game, but gave up a two-run

double, and Claremont narrowed its deficit to 5-4.

Claremont’s next batter hit an infield grounder that could not be

fielded cleanly, and the play resulted in the tying run coming home.

In the bottom of the sixth, Arledge walked on four straight

pitches, Tyler Mildenberg laid down a bunt that, Gorden Gates said,

took Claremont by “total surprise.”

On the play, the Claremont pitcher fielded the ball and threw the

ball over first base and into right field. Arledge circled the bases

and slid home for the winning run.

Zachary Gates pitched 5 2/3 innings and gave up five hits and

four earned runs. He was matched by Claremont pitcher David Thumm,

who limited Ocean View to six hits and three earned runs.

Gates and Mayeaux each had two hits to lead an Ocean View offense

that also included Jacob Caron’s single.

In earlier tournament play:

Ocean View 12, Lemon Grove 3

Ocean View opened up pool play at the Division tournament with an

easy win over Lemon Grove.

Jake Arledge led off the first inning with a single up the middle,

and Tyler Mildenberg was hit by a pitch before Zachary Gates drilled

a three-run homer to centerfield to put Ocean View on top, 3-0. Casey

Hayes walked, and Grant Mayeaux laced a double to score Hayes and cap

a four-run inning.

Ocean View tacked on three more runs in the second inning to go

up, 7-0.

Max Gibbs singled to start the inning, Arledge reached on an

error, and Gates hit a long single to score both runners. Gates would

later score on an error.

Ocean View closed out its scoring in the bottom of the third with

five more runs on a double by Mildenberg, singles by Grant Mayeaux

and Gates and a two-run homerun by Casey Hayes.

Mildenberg pitched three solid innings. He surrendered three hits,

one earned run and registered six strikeouts.

Also seeing action on the mound for Ocean View was Jacob Caron,

Wyatt Albert and Mayeaux.

Offensively, Gates led the way with three hits and six RBI. Also

getting hits were Mayeaux, who went two for two with an RBI; Hayes

with a home run and two RBI; and Mildenberg, Arledge, Max Gibbs, Dane

Perkins and Dee Atwood, who all singled.

“We got a great jump-start in the first inning, when we got the

first two kids on base, and then Zachary went deep,” Gorden Gates

said. “That got the ball rolling for us.

“Arledge is one of our key spark plugs, and when he leads off for

us and gets on base, good things happen. He got on base three times

and scored each time.”

Magnolia Center 6, Ocean View 3

In its second game in pool play, Ocean View was handed its first

loss by Magnolia Center Little League of Riverside.

Casey Hayes pitched five innings for Ocean View, allowing nine

hits and four earned runs, and struck out four.

Magnolia Center’s Joe Bradley pitched a complete game and

surrendered six hits and two earned runs while striking out eight.

Grant Mayeaux led Ocean View at the plate with two hits, including

his second home run in tournament play. Also getting hits were Tyler

Mildenberg, Zachary Gates, Jacob Caron and Chris Smith.

Ocean View began the postseason by going undefeated at the

District 62 All-Star Tournament to win the district banner. They then

won the Section 5 tournament title in an event played in Santa Fe

Springs at the end of July.

Ocean View ended the postseason with a record of 12-1.

The 9/10 All-Star team is composed of Wyatt Albert, Jake Arledge,

Dee Atwood, Jacob Caron, Ben Drolet, Zachary Gates, Max Gibbs, Casey

Hayes, Grant Mayeaux, Tyler Mildenberg, Dane Perkins, Chris Smith,

coaches Mike Mayeaux and Zip Atwood and manager Gorden Gates.

“What’s scary is to think what these kids may do as 12-year-old

all-stars,” Gorden Gates said. “”They may see a lot of the same teams

and faces that they saw during this championship run.

“It’s hard not to peek ahead into the future, but for now let them

all bask in the glory of their accomplishment.”