SRLL All-Stars advance in So Cal State tourney
By Hector Trujillo
The Scripps Ranch Little League 11u All-Star team is in the midst of the 2022 Southern California State Tournament at Fountain Valley Sports Park in Orange County where they defeated Alisa Viejo 5-3 on July 24. Scripps Ranch now advances to play Eastlake on July 26 at 6 p.m.
Scripps Ranch defeated Temecula Little League 16-5 in their first game of the tournament on July 23.
The Scripps Ranch 11u All-Star got this far by recently winning the Section 6 tournament. The team kicked off its Section tournament with a 14-4 victory against San Carlos Little League on July 16, but lost to Del Mar 1-10 on July 18. The team bounced back with a 5-2 win over Vista American on July 19. They played Del Mar again on July 20 and came away with a 5-2 win; then played Del Mar one more time in the final championship game and won 6-2 on July 21 in extra innings to advance to State competition.
After a successful 2022 regular season, Scripps Ranch Little League fielded four official All-Star teams to compete in post-season district tournaments: Intermediate 13u, Majors 12u, 11u and 10u.
Each team faced off against other District 32 teams in their respective double elimination tournaments.
“We are proud of all of our All-Star teams and how they represented Scripps Ranch Little League,” said Scripps Ranch Little League President Avi Barat. “These tournaments are very competitive, and we continue to excel year after year. It’s a testament to the size and strength of our Little League and our great coaches.”
Coming off their history-making fourth place finish at State last year, the 11u All-Star team was the favorite heading into their district tournament. With three strong wins, they captured the District 32 championship once again, defeating Coronado in the final game 15-3. In three games, their pitchers only allowed four earned runs and their powerful bats mustered up 31 hits. They moved on to Sectionals where they won their Section 6 title to advance to So Cal State competition.
The 10u team suffered an early loss in the district tournament, but battled back to win five consecutive games and capture their District 32 championship with a 6-2 win over Point Loma. With strong pitching and consistent bats, they outscored opponents 81-19 in their seven games. They moved on to the Section tournament where they lost to San Carlos in their first game on July 16, and lost to Vista on July 17 in their second game.
The Intermediate team had a strong showing throughout their district tournament and placed third. The team lost to Peninsula 10-8 in a difficult elimination game in which they came up just short.
“This team is incredibly talented and fought hard through adversity,” Barat said.
The 12u Majors team had the luxury of playing at home as Scripps Ranch Little League hosted the 12u Majors district tournament at Spring Canyon Park. The 12u team had a strong showing in the tournament, even winning a memorable extra-innings game over Rancho Penasquitos. In the end, they lost out 3-2 in a tough elimination game vs. Point Loma.
“Our kids kept their heads up and battled to the final pitch of every game,” Barat said.