Jens Boblitt of the Sierra Foothill Braves, left, braces for a close play at third base in Monday's District 11 Tournament of Champions action against the Nevada City Yankees. While the throw to Yankees third baseman Max Heinzeleman appears to beat the runner, Boblitt slid in safe. See game story below. obfoto.com

June 23, 2009

Sierra Foothills Braves rap NC Yankees, 13-3

Good pitching, timely hitting and steady defense proved to be the winning script for the Sierra Foothills Little League Braves Monday night in their District 11 Tournament of Champions opener at Bear River LL Park.

Taking on the Nevada City Yankees in an Area II first round game, the Braves scored runs in every at-bat on their way to a five-inning mercy rule shortened 13-3 win.

The Braves, the champion of the Colfax-based SFLL circuit, received three innings of one-hit, seven strikeout pitching from Justin Boice and a big 3x3, three RBI and home run night from Avery Vrooman to shackle the Yankees.

The win for the Braves moves the Colfax squad into Wednesday night’s 7:30 p.m. second round quarter-final game against the Grass Valley Orioles who were an 8-4 victor over the Penn Valley Giants in Monday’s nightcap.                 

The Braves, who had entered the TOC coming off two losses to close regular season SFLL play, didn’t show any ill effects from their late season slump as they tallied two runs in the first, one in the second, four more in the third and two and three respectively in the fourth and fifth.

In the first, the Braves were staked to an early 2-0 lead when Vrooman’s double down the right field line chased home Alex Nevarez and Alex Tobiasz who had both singled.

The Braves then upped their lead to 3-0 in the second when Riley Stokes delivered a RBI single which tallied Ryan Hallman who had walked and then advanced to second base on Jens Boblitt’s fielder’s choice.

In the third inning, the Braves stayed on the gas pedal as they scored three times after two were out.

Vrooman started the two-out rally by drawing a walk. Boice, a lefthanded hitter, then doubled off the left field fence. The blast sent Vrooman around to make it 4-0, Braves.

Hallman followed by drawing a walk and after Boblitt hit a hard shot that the Yankees second baseman misplayed, Boice kept running from second to make the score, 5-0.

Marcus Jackson then beat out a high chopper for an infield hit that scored Hallman to make it 6-0. Stokes then hit another single that scored Boblitt for a 7-0 margin.

Because of wanting to keep the pitch count tally for Boice down, Braves manager Mike Vrooman made a pitching change in the fourth inning that the Yankees took advantage of.

With Jackson trying to find his comfort zone on the hill, three walks, two errors and two hits enabled the Yankees to break through for three runs. Jackson did settle down to fan two Yankee batters to get out of the frame without further damage.

But the Braves answered the Yanks’ salvo in the bottom of the fourth when Alex Tobiasz drew a walk, went to second on a single by Vrooman and then scored on Boice’ RBI hit.

Vrooman eventually came round to score on a passed ball before Jackson had another hit which tallied Boice to make it 10-3.

Hallman then took the mound and pitched the fifth. He sat the Yankees down in order before Vrooman’s two-run line drive HR over the fence in centerfield upped the tally to 12-3.