District 62 Tournament of Champions:

Bryce Alderton

COSTA MESA - Clouds blanketed the sky and the wind blew briskly

from left to right as the flags beyond the fence in right field wiggled

Thursday afternoon at Costa Mesa High for a first-round District 62

Tournament of Champions game.

Perfect conditions for the Costa Mesa National 9-10 year-old Dodgers

to use their strategy - hitting the ball to the right side.

The Dodgers (17-6), hit loopers and liners into the air nine times

into right field, all but three times for hits, in their 10-1 win over

the Robinwood Little League champion Mariners, which pits them against

the Costa Mesa American champion Yankees at noon today at Costa Mesa

High.

“We (hit to the right side) intentionally, especially when we have

runners in scoring position,” said Dodger Manager Clint Brown. “It’s a

longer throw for the outfielder and the runner is more likely to score.”

With the brisk wind blowing from left to right across the outfield and

in toward the hitter slightly, balls hit into the air sometimes came

straight down in shallow right field in front of a charging right

fielder, or stayed in the air longer, letting the wind carry them

wherever it may.

Brown’s strategy worked as the Dodgers batted in five runners when

hitting the ball skyward into right-center or right field. Of the six

Dodger hitters to collect hits to the right side, four scored.

Dodgers’ starting pitcher Eusebio Castillo and reliever Eric Mickelson

hit fly balls into right field all three of their at-bats, with Mickelson

collecting three RBIs and Castillo one. Both players also scored a run.

Not to be outdone was the Dodgers pitching and defense, whichlimited

the Mariners to one run (unearned) on two hits.

From the opening pitch, Dodger infielders shouted how many outs were

left in an inning and often yelled words of encouragement to each other.

In the sixth inning, first baseman Danny Derieg even shouted at

Mickelson to pitch inside on a hitter.

Brown teaches the importance of communication to his team.

“I’ve been teaching (communication) since day one,” Brown said. “I’m

big on the idea of self-talk and then they can talk to others. It’s so

they know what to do when the ball comes to them. It really pays

dividends.”

Two plays epitomized the Dodgers’ attention to the fundamentals.

After a leadoff single in the second, Castillo raced straight ahead

off the mound to field a bunt and immediately threw to second base to get

the force out, still leaving the chance for a potential inning-ending

double play.

In the fourth inning and leading, 8-0, Mickelson caught a comebacker

to the mound and threw to first for the force out. The run scored, but

left the bases empty for the next hitter, who grounded out to Derieg at

first base.

Pitching did the rest.

Castillo and Mickelson each pitched three innings with four strikeouts

apiece and no walks. Brown selected Mickelson to be his 12th man on the

roster for TOC.

Dodger hitters did the rest, scoring three runs in the first and third

innings and two runs each in the fourth and fifth.

In the bottom of the fifth, one of the more entertaining innings,

third baseman Joshua Erno got jammed, but the ball hit the edge of the

infield grass and skirted to the right of the second baseman for an

infield hit. Erno’s hit sent Coleman Brown, who had singled to right to

open the inning, to third.

After a flyout for the second out, Mickelson hit a liner toward the

charging right fielder who reached down but the ball sneaked under his

glove and rolled past him, plating two runs.

During the play, Mickelson rounded second and momentarily stopped

halfway between second and third, but then committed to third as the

third baseman fielded the throw and tried to apply the tag. Mickelson

squirted left past the third baseman’s outstretched arm, and was safe at

third.

Erno finished the day 2 for 3 with two singles, two RBIs and two runs,

while Mickelson went 2 for 3 with three RBIs and a run scored. Castillo

went 1 for 2 with a double, run scored and hit a towering sacrifice fly

to right field in the third inning.

Preston Schow singled twice, scored a run and had an RBI, and Daniel

Degree walked, singled, scored twice and had an RBI. Daniel Derieg

rounded out the Dodgers’ hitting attack with a ground-rule double over

the fence in right-center in the fourth.

Luke Roberts walked twice, once with the bases loaded in the fourth

for an RBI, and also scored a run.

Nicholas Iorfino (run scored) and Alec Fuller had the only hits for

the Mariners.

Iorfino struck out the side in the second, the only inning the

Mariners didn’t allow any Dodger runs.

The Yankees now await the Dodgers Saturday. The two teams split their

two regular-season meetings according to Brown.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Brown said.