SFLL Rangers Clip Yanks

CLOSE PLAY - Taylor Avila of the Sierra Foothills Rangers slides into third base during Monday's District 11 Tournasment of Champions action at Bear River. Applying the tag is Bear River Yankees third baseman Caden McGowen. The Rangers clipped the Yankees, 5-2. (obfoto.com)

SFLL Rangers Ride Past BR Yanks, 5-2; BR Giants roll, 6-1

It took awhile but the Area II bracket of the District 11 Little League Tournament of Champions finally had a couple of well-played games where pitching and defense proved to be more important than offense.

In Monday night’s opener at Bear River in the final first round game of tournament, the Sierra Foothills Rangers from Colfax used a sturdy mound effort from Wes Woodward and Jacob Yarborough to ride past the Bear River Yankees, 5-2.

Then, in the nightcap, the Bear River Giants followed a route-going effort by southpaw Brandon Donely and a two-run homer by Jerry Fuhrman to hand the Nevada City Dodgers a 6-1 setback.

The win by the Rangers moves the Colfax squad into tonight’s semi-final action at 7:30 p.m. against the Grass Valley Angels. The winner of that game moves into Saturday’s Area II championship game.

In the 5 p.m. game today, a second round match-up, it will be the Nevada City Indians and the Penn Valley Dodgers meeting to earn a shot Wednesday at 7 p.m. against the Bear River Giants. 

Monday’s two games were the first of the Area II tournament where the wining teams scored less than nine runs and only the second of the first four previous games where the winning team didn’t win by eight or more runs.

In Area I play which opened Monday night, the Rocklin Orioles, the league’s “B” team, topped the Tri-City Red Sox, the TCLL’s A team, 6-5.

The second game in Auburn on Monday saw the Auburn Mariners trip the Lincoln A’s, 6-3.

SFLL Rangers 5  Bear River Yankees 2 – Taylor Avila’s two-run double in the third inning snapped a 1-1 tie and put the Rangers in the driver’s seat for the win.

Jake Buol also added a two-run single and Anthony Ahrens contributed another key hit. On defense, the Rangers threw out a pair of runners on the bases with Mason Lewis gunning down a Yankee at the plate.

Woodward hurled the first five frames for the win before giving way to Yarborough in the sixth who shut the door on any Yankees comeback hopes.

Bear River Giants 6 Nevada City Dodgers 1 – Donely showed no effects from a recent leg injury as he fanned eight batters and didn’t allow a walk in the Giants’ win.

Donely also added a first inning RBI which got the Giants off to a good start before Fuhrman banged his two-run round tripper to make the score 4-0.

Steven Ertola also added a double and Nathan Karas a single while right fielder Dallas Penn made a fine running catch to rob Nevada City off a potential extra base hit.