Lamorinda Weekly Issue 8 Volume 10
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Wednesday, June 15, 2016 www.lamorindaweekly.com 925-377-0977 LAMORINDA WEEKLY Page: C3 Orinda 9U All-Star Team Wins Orinda 14 U Bandits Fight Their Bigtimer Baseball Tournament Way to Gold Championship Submitted by Marc Leibowitz Submitted by Junaid Khan From left: Ryan Ansel, Nico Hsu, Coach Robert Filipas, Amir Khan, Lucas Olsen, Nick Acevedo, Quentin Breznikar, Nick Wong, Cambell Hoskins, Nick Watson, Greg Austin, Coach Rob Ellis, Chris Watson Photo provided he Orinda baseball team 14 U Bandits that measured over 300 feet. The champi- are the 2016 680 Diablo League Gold onship game was a fantastic back and forth Bottom, from left: Luke Holden, Tyler Akel, Grant Kurtz, Gian Maguire. Kneeling, from left: T Preston Rguem, Kobe Wong, Luke Milmoe; standing: Jason Wong (coach), Archer Eames, An- Champions. The championship tournament battle that came down to the last inning. In derson Butner, Marc Leibowitz (coach), Charlie Watters, Ethan Yu, Tarik Rguem (coach), David was held June 3-5 in Santa Clara. the top of the seventh inning, Bandit right Leibowitz Photo Haidee Wong Manager Robert Filipas credited a true fielder Nick Acevedo made a great running he Orinda 9U All-Star team defeated opponents 31-2 in the semi-final and final team effort for the win, with every player catch in right field which prevented the go Tthe Blossom Valley (San Jose) Mustang games against Hard 90 Pound Premier and contributing with timely hitting and out- ahead run from scoring, followed by third All-Stars, 15-0, to win the Bigtimer Baseball Blossom Valley. Archer Eames and Grant standing error free defense. Coach Robert baseman Chris Watson snaring a rocket off 2016 Memorial Day Tournament in Santa Kurtz starred on the mound, while David Ellis orchestrated the pitching rotations to the Bulldawgs bat for the final out. The Ban- Cruz on May 30. Leibowitz, Luke Milmoe and Tyler Akel led allow the Bandits the depth to finish: Greg dits had one more chance to win the game Strong pitching, consistent hitting and the offensive charge and Preston Rguem, Austin, Nick Watson, Campbell Hoskins, and tournament heading into the bottom of stingy defense propelled Orinda to victory Kobe Wong, and Anderson Butner anchored Quentin Breznikar were the winning pitch- the seventh. over an impressive field of travel and all-star the defense. Ethan Yu, Charlie Watters, Luke ers throughout the tournament, while Lucas The Bandits, started their half of the sev- teams from Sacramento, the East Bay, the Holden, and Gian Maguire also contributed Olsen and Nick Wong provided clutch relief. enth with back-to-back doubles by Olsen Peninsula and the South Bay. The All-Stars key hits and stolen bases. Ryan Ansel and Amir Khan showed nerves and Khan, followed by an intentional walk went 4-1 over the weekend, outscoring their of steel with nail-biting saves. Nico Hsu to Wong. With the bases now loaded and the and Campbell Hoskins alternated at catcher, crowd roaring, the inning and game ended in throwing out multiple base runners trying to dramatic fashion with a walk-off single by U14 AB Seals Win Tourneys to steal. Austin, which plated Olsen for the winning Ansel and Khan brought the big lumber run and sent the Orinda fans in attendance End Four-year Run Together to Santa Clara as both hit timely home runs into wild celebration. Submitted by Kevin Reilly Nationals Beat Giants for Little League Title in Majors Division Submitted by Sharyn Harrington Back row, from left: Jon Zuber (manager), Jake Delaney, Nick Kresnak, Tommy Thrasher, Kade Shipp, Luke Miles, Nicolas Bamont, Grant Harper. Front row, from left: Vince Bianchina, Declan Curran, Will Windatt, Ryan Reilly, Owen Hansen, Jack Muren Photo Matt Hansen Top row from left: Sean Harrington, coach Allyn Oh, Graham Oh, Chase McReynolds, Dante he AB Seals, managed by Jon Zuber, then traveled to Oregon where they went un- Montgomery, Mason Michilitsch, Manager James Harrington, Nathan Kim, Luke Pearson, Twon 14U tournaments in both Woodland, defeated in six games at the Memorial Day coach Dan Otoole, Connor Otoole; Bottom row from left: Kyle Bielawski, Colin Krznaric, Calif., and Medford, Ore., in May to success- tournament in Medford, including a 10-5 win Cooper Kenney; not pictured Alex McLin Photo provided fully conclude four-plus years of tournament over DC Express from Roseburg, Ore., in the he Lafayette Little League Champion- Nationals and Giants battled it out through baseball together. On May 15 the Seals won championship game. Tship game for the Majors Division was two great games. The Nationals came out on the “Twist It” tournament in Woodland and held Saturday June 4, at Buckeye Field. The top after a walk off home run by Graham Oh. Lamorinda Track Stars Exceed Expectations at State Championship ...continued from page C2 as best as he could in a very tough work with.” field.” The Mats had two runners at The race marked yet another the State meet, but the races didn’t high point in Moore’s transforma- go as planned for senior Christian tion from young sprinter to mid- Gonzales and freshman Cassy dle-distance star. The week before Haskell. State, Moore won the 800-meter “State meet wasn’t the great- race at the NCS Meet of Champi- est for us,” admitted head coach ons. Tristan Tool after Gonzales placed “I think it’s a nice progression in seventh in the first preliminary [for Niki],” Woolridge said. “He heat of the 800-meter race and came in more as a 200 and 400 Haskell finished in 11th in her heat [meter] runner and has moved to of the 1,600. the 800-meter distance over the last “[It was] tough to end the sea- two-and-a-half years. This year, he son like that,” Tool said. “But they took the next step in terms of the both had fantastic breakout seasons training he did, and that really paid as a whole.” off for him in the end of the year.” Their showings at the State Moore was the only Cougar meet don’t put a damper on what competing at the meet, but Wool- promises to be bright futures for ridge was pleased with how the both runners. year shook out for the boys and “Cassie Haskell ended the sea- girls teams at large. son as the No. 3 ranked freshman “I think things went really well in the US in the 1,600 meter,” Tool for us. It wasn’t the best season in said. “[It was] an impressive season terms of the number of athletes we for her.” Julia Lyons Photo Gint Federas advanced onto the State meet, but Meanwhile, Gonzales will con- Like Acalanes, Campolindo one considering it was his first time 800-meter preliminaries. “He was I think our athletes got out of the tinue his running career next spring brought one athlete to Clovis in ju- at that venue,” said head coach up against the best competition that season what they had hoped to get at Belmont University in Nashville, nior Niki Moore. Chuck Woolridge after Moore ran he’s seen in his career. He stayed out of it,” Woolridge said. “It was Tenn. “His performance was a good in sixth place in the third heat of the very poised and executed his race just a really great group of kids to Submit stories to [email protected] (We prefer to receive your original photo file, minimum size: 200 dpi and 1200 pixels wide.).