Little league: Marlins stomp on line in the dirt

COSTA MESA - With a never-say-die attitude, the Costa Mesa National

Little League’s Marlins answered a 4-2 deficit, exploding for a 10-7

victory over the Cardinals, in Minor A division action at TeWinkle

Intermediate Saturday.

The Marlins used a five-run fifth inning, to break a 4-4 tie and held

off the Cardinals as pitcher Johnny Persons came up big in the bottom of

the sixth and final inning.

With one out and the bases loaded, Persons immediately redeemed

himself after a passed ball when he covered the plate, caught the throw

from catcher Cameron Santana and tagged out the Cardinals runner. He then

ended the game when he struck out the batter he was working on.

Cardinals Mike Morley, Gerardo Chavez, Nick Oliver, Ben Lefebure and

Roy Ortiz finished with two hits each, but it just wasn’t enough as the

Marlins refused to quit and displayed their relentless spirit with their

five runs in the fifth.

Christopher Quinlan led off with a single and Cory Ames later followed

with another base hit. Persons then blasted an RBI single and Evan Kipnis

popped a sacrifice fly. Gregory Stanley, Nick Dipietro and Mike Gillmore

cranked out an RBI single each before the inning ended.

Gillmore also pitched the first three innings, yielding just four hits

and striking out two batters. Persons took over the last three innings

and fanned four.

Ames batted perfect as he went 4 for 4 with three RBIs and two runs

scored, while Stanley finished 2 for 3 with a walk and one RBI. Juan

Moreno and Gillmore both went 2 for 3 and they along with Santana,

Dipietro, Quinlan and Kyle Lux all scored one run each.

The Marlins began the game with a 2-0 lead, but the Cardinals

retaliated with four runs in the bottom of the first inning.

With two outs, Danny O’Neil, Chavez, Ryan Knapp, Morley, Oliver and

Lefebure slammed base hits in that order. Knapp and Lefebure crushed

two-run singles, issuing the challenge that the Marlins responed to with

success.

“You could tell, we really wanted to come back,” Cardinals Manager Bob

Knapp said. “This is one of the best groups I’ve had in my five years of

coaching. Sometimes you learn more by losing than winning.”

COSTA MESA NATIONAL LITTLE LEAGUE

Minor A Division

THE MARLINS

2 Cory Ames

21 Johnny Persons 15 Evan Kipnis

17 Gregory Stanley

19 Juan Moreno

26 Cameron Santana

23 Nick Dipietro

24 Mike Gillmore

20 Kyle Lux

25 Blake Rowerdink

18 Christopher Quinlan

Zachary Arant

Manager: John Gillmore

Coaches: Victor Santana and Gary Kipnis

COSTA MESA AMERICAN LITTLE LEAGUE

THE CARDINALS

20 Weston Barloon

19 Taylor West

22 Danny O’Neil

26 Gerardo Chavez

21 Ryan Knapp

17 Mike Morley

18 Nick Oliver

16 Ben Lefebvre

25 Joseph Ozida

14 Kevin Kiser

23 Pat McGuire

15 Roy Ortiz

Manager: Bob Knapp

Coaches: Ken Kiser and Dan Oliver