Bear River Diamondbacks pitcher Isaac Van Patten, right, goes "heels up" after trying to tag a Sierra Foothills Braves runner in a close play at home plate during Thursday night's Tournament of Champions action. The Braves scored here but the D-Backs notched a tight, 4-3 win. obfoto.com
June 26, 2009
Astros, D-Backs Collide For Area II Title
If there’s one thing certain about tonight’s Area II championship game in the District 11 Tournament of Champions it’s this: A Bear River Little League team will emerge into the D-11’s best of three championship series which starts Saturday in Auburn.
Representing their league well, the Bear River Astros and Bear River Diamondbacks both registered nail-biting semi-final wins Thursday night to move into this evening’s Area II title game set for 7 p.m. at Bear River LL Park.
In Thursday's first semi-final game, a highly anticipated match-up between the Astros and the Nevada City Dodgers was everything the doctor ordered and more as the two teams battled tooth and nail for six frames before the Astros emereged with a tight 3-2 win.
The Dodgers, receiving a sterling pitching effort from Joey Souza kept the game close all the way. Souza finished the night with 11 strikeouts while allowing just four hits in five and one-third innings of work.
Meanwhile, the Astros, now 21-1 on the season, Bobby Hildebrand also threw 51⁄3 innings for the Astros, picking up four strikeouts while allowing two hits. Kyle Soria then came in and fanned two batters he faced in relief to earn the save.
Both Hildebrand and Tyler Toft each went 2-for-3 to pace the Astros” offense while Joey Jiannino and Conner Upton, who doubled, were each 2-for-3 for the Dodgers. The big rap for the Dodgers came on Jack Gerving’s two-run homer for the Dodgers.
In game two, Bear River's Diamondbacks squeezed past the Sierra Foothills Braves from Colfax, 4-3.
Isaac Van Patten hurled the win for the D-Backs with closing relief help from Martin Vigil. The contest ended when Vigil got out of a two-out, bases-loaded situation in the bottom of the sixth inning when the Braves grounded out to second base to end the game.