Ocean View wins again; returns home to refuel

Mike Sciacca, Independent

The Ocean View Little League Major Division All-Stars rolled back

into town Friday morning for a brief respite from the hoopla surrounding

the 2000 Little League Western Regional tournament.

The Ocean View entourage left San Bernardino early Friday, and arrived

back on its home playing field in Huntington Beach sometime around 9:30

a.m. They left the players compound for cooler grounds - and sanity’s

sake.

“This has been some ride so far!,” Ocean View Manager Yun Conger said

upon his team’s return home from the Inland Empire. “There is so much

going on there (San Bernardino) that sometimes, it’s hard for the kids to

concentrate.

“We brought them back home for a brief rest from everything. We wanted

them to get a feel for home again, to shower at home, to hang out on

their own field, and experience cooler weather. We want them to recharge,

and get back into a baseball mentality. This has all been fun, but we

want our kids focused.”

The players arrived home a hot, but happy bunch, having won their

first two games in the 14-team, double-elimination tournament, whose

winner will advance to the ultimate event, the Little League World

Series, in Williamsport, Pa. Aug. 20-26.

They escaped the stifling heat of the Inland Empire. As of 9 a.m.

Friday, the temperature flashed upon a billboard alongside the 215

Freeway read: 98-degrees.

The temperature was expected to hit 104 today. Ocean View has been

fortunate, however: their first two games were 8 p.m. starts. Should they

keep winning, they’ll continue to play at night, under the lights and out

of the heat.

Ocean View opened the tournament in impressive style Wednesday night

by scoring a 13-1 victory over Wyoming in a Mercy Rule contest halted

after four innings of play. Ocean View then came back late Thursday night

to blank New Mexico, 3-0, in what Conger termed a “hard-fought game.”

The game was scoreless entering the bottom of the fifth inning. It was

there that Ocean View finally broke through, with Chris Palmer, the

game’s winning pitcher, breaking the ice with a leadoff double. Tomas Yoo

then delivered the game-winning RBI, his double scoring pinch runner Eric

Jaso. Jeff Mollica matched Yoo with a run-scoring double, and Jeff Van

Doornum’s RBI single gave Ocean View its 3-0 lead.

Palmer pitched a tough five innings and went on to strikeout 10 while

walking two to go along with two hits. Hank Conger was brought in at the

start of the the sixth inning and, after giving up a questionable infield

single, went on to strike out the next three batters to end the game.

“Chris (Palmer) gave a wonderful performance,” Yun Conger said. “A

10-strikeout game in this type of tournament is impressive, really.”

Ocean View’ win Thursday put it in the company of Arizona, Washington,

and Montana, as the tournament’s only unbeaten teams. Yet there will only

be two unbeatens left standing by late this evening, as Ocean View takes

on Arizona tonight at 8 p.m., and Montana and Washington faced each other

Friday night.

Yun Conger, who will start 12-year-old right-hander Trey Valbuena

tonight against Arizona, said that Thursday’s win over New Mexico was a

big one.

Just one night earlier, New Mexico had upended Northern California,

3-2.

“We really wanted that win,” he said. “New Mexico was a tough team,

and that was a big hurdle to clear. At this point, I really feel that we

can win this thing. We’ll have the kids ready.”

Ocean View’s return Friday to Huntington Beach wasn’t just for rest.

No, Conger had his troops out in full force later that afternoon for a

two-hour practice session. There was a slight breeze in the air, and the

players were loose, laughing, and having fun.

Boy, what a trip home won’t do.