Both Orcutt Babe Ruth All-Star teams rebounded from first-round losses on Monday to win their respective regional elimination games on Tuesday.
The Orcutt 14U All-Stars defeated Utah state champion Vernal 5-2 on Tuesday in the 14U Pacific Southwest Regional Tournament in Murray, Utah. The Orcutt 13’s All-Stars defeated host Northwest Bakersfield 15-4 in a 13’s Pacific Southwest Regional elimination game in Bakersfield.
Orcutt 14U All-Stars 5, Vernal 2
After a 2-1 loss to Northern California representative Tri-Valley on Monday in the first round, Orcutt, the No. 2 Central California representative, secured a win at the regional championship on Tuesday.
Game MVP Grayson Cole hit 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs for Orcutt. Israel Rocha hit 3-for-3 and Eli Hendricks hit 2-for-2 as Orcutt had 11 hits.
Orcutt used three pitchers. Sam Grupe started and went 2.1 innings, allowing one earned run. Cole relieved Grupe and allowed one earned run on three hits in 3.2 innings. Closer Xavier Horta finished the game for Orcutt.
Tuesday’s win was the first at a regional for this group of Orcutt players. The Orcutt 13’s went 0-2 at the regional last year. The Orcutt 14U squad won the Babe Ruth 14U World Series championship last year, the first Babe Ruth World Series title for a Santa Maria Valley team.
Orcutt will face the loser of Madera-Torrance in another elimination game on Wednesday at 1 p.m. Madera defeated Orcutt to win the Central California state championship title. Torrance won the Southern California state championship title.
Tri-Valley 2, Orcutt 1 (Monday)
“We lost a tough game,” Orcutt manager Adam Cole said after the game. “Tri-Valley’s runs came from two fumbles in the first inning with two outs. We hit the balls right at people and couldn’t get the big hit when we needed it.”
Israel Rocha was Orcutt’s starting pitcher and went 5.1 innings, allowing six hits, striking out five batters and walking three. Lucas Woodruff was Orcutt’s closer.
Orcutt 13U All-Stars 15, Northwest Bakersfield 4
The Central California State tournament champion took an early lead with three runs in the first inning and then decided the game with six runs on three hits in the second inning.
Orcutt’s Eli Solis scored the game’s first run in the first inning. Orcutt’s second run came on a fielder’s choice hit by Aiden Cruddas, and the third came on a ground out by Easton Verbryke.
Mason Padilla scored a run for Orcutt in the second inning. Solis scored another run, then Verbryke scored two more runs. Elijah Ortiz got an RBI on a walk with the bases loaded, then Orcutt scored another run on a wild pitch.
Orcutt used four pitchers. Cruddas was the starter and pitched two scoreless innings, allowing two hits. Ozzy Gerfen pitched the final two innings, stopping Northwest Bakersfield with two hits.
Solis, the MVP of the Central California state tournament, went 3 for 5 with four RBIs. Verbryke scored three runs for Orcutt and David Bluem scored two.
The Central California State Tournament champion recorded 11 stolen bases. Bluem and Kaeden MacDonald each stole two bases.
Orcutt will face Southern Cal’s No. 2 representative, Torrance, in another elimination game on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.
