Little League: Porterville advance to Norcal quarterfinals
First Little League team in history to win two games at state
Porterville’s 11-andunder All-star team lives to fight another day after winning a 19-12 thriller over Santa Rosa American to advance to the quarterfinal game in the double-elimination Little League Northern California State Championship tournament on Monday evening in Fremont.
The District 34 and Section 7 champions also won on Saturday making them the only team in Porterville Little League history to win two games at the state level. The team is scheduled to play Hillsborough tonight at 5:30 p.m. in the quarterfinal game.
“We’re on cloud nine,” said head coach Robert Vargas about the team’s historical win.
Tied at 5 with the Section 1 champions headed into the top of the fifth inning, Porterville exploded for an 11-run half-inning.
The team kicked it off with Gio Chavez recording an RBI after being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. In the next at-bat and facing a new pitcher, Louie Torres knocked in two runs off a single for an 8-5 lead. Porterville tacked on another run when Jonathon Delgado doubled down the right field line.
David Zamora extended Porterville’s lead with a three-run home run to right centerfield. Up 12-5, Porterville still had zero outs. With the bases loaded once again, Chavez sweetened Porterville’s lead with a grand slam.
“Our bats woke up tremendously,” said Vargas.
Santa Rosa put up three runs in the bottom of the fifth, which were answered in the top of the sixth with three more Porterville runs.
It was quieter on the Porterville side in the bottom of the sixth with closer Colton Isom on the mound. Santa Rosa managed to score three runs but Isom finished the game with two strikeouts.
Porterville fought hard to stay in the game, answering Santa Rosa runs with ones of their own early on.
In the second inning, Zamora recorded a home run while Colton Isom hit a rocket off of the centerfield wall for an Rbi-single and a 2-1 lead.
Santa Rosa scored two runs and in the top of the fourth and Porterville was down one once again. But Zamora hit a bases-loaded Rbi-single to tie the game.
Porterville scored again when Aiden Celedon hit a two-run Rbisingle for the 5-3 lead. But in the bottom of the inning Santa Rosa tied the game up with two runs of their own.
Starting pitcher Torres, along with relievers Zamora, Chavez, Isom and Gregory Franco III “did a great job” contributing on the mound for Porterville while their coaches managed their pitch count well.
Porterville had just two errors in this game and bounced back from a 10-0 shutout on Sunday that saw them commit seven errors against Section 4 champions, Tri City.
“It’s hard to win a ball game when you commit seven errors and give them extra outs. Tri City, they’re a very good team. And when you give a good team extra outs, they’re going to make you pay for it.”
According to Vargas, one bright spot for the team was that their pitching continued to do well. On Sunday, Celedon, Franco and Jason Malindrini pitched.
Torres got the start on Saturday and was relieved by Celedon, Franco and Malindrini in their 11-1 rout over Section 4’s Redwood Empire.
“It was a really good way to start,” said Robert Vargas. “In that [Saturday game], the boys were firing on all cylinders. From our pitching staff, they just did an amazing job. That’s one thing they did well from both games, our pitching has just been phenomenal.”
Pitching has carried the team constantly through the season and it doesn’t seem to be letting up any time soon.
With their bats hot and their defense clutch, Porterville continues to be a tough team to beat.