It’s tourney time again

Mike Sciacca

Team banners fly proudly as you come upon the playing fields at

Huntington Valley and Seaview little leagues and large crowds of

spectators gather to watch the annual District 62 Tournament of

Champions.

June always ushers in postseason play for the eight local little

leagues who comprise District 62: Huntington Valley, Ocean View,

Robinwood and Seaview -- all of Huntington Beach -- Fountain Valley,

Westminster, Costa Mesa American and Costa Mesa National.

The single-elimination event, which will crown champions in three

divisions at Huntington Valley, as well as the Junior League champion

at Westminster Little League, is the first of two huge tournaments

the district stages each summer.

Next in line is the Little League District 62 All-Star Tournament

which will begin July 7.

Huntington Valley will host the Area 1 All-Star competition and

Costa Mesa National will host Area 2 play.

“There’s always excitement in the air at this time of year in

local Little League baseball,” said Renee Aumiller, president of

Huntington Valley Little League. “I think by bringing all the local

leagues together at this time each summer creates one, big family.

“The kids are so excited. I was at the Minor B semifinal game we

hosted on Monday and I thought the kids from Ocean View and Costa

Mesa National were going to jump out of their skin -- that’s how

excited they were. They were so revved up during the National

Anthem.”

Seaview No. 1 and Robinwood’s No. 2 playoff entry have reached the

Majors Division final, which was played Wednesday night at Huntington

Valley.

Seaview advanced to the championship game and prevented an

all-Robinwood final by beating Robinwood No. 1, 5-1.

Robinwood No. 2 moved on by edging Ocean View No. 2, 5-4.

The Junior Division final was played Monday and the Mariners, the

No. 1 team out of Huntington Valley, shaded Westminster No. 1, 9-6,

to claim the division banner.

En route to the title, Huntington Valley also defeated Fountain

Valley No. 2 and Robinwood.

The Huntington Valley Mariners are comprised of Andy Lesser,

Patrick Hart, Bryan Visnoski, Michael Rhodes, Pablo McBeth, Pat

Doran, Kyle Shibel, Drake Thorn, Eric Butler, Chris Nowlin and Kyle

Woityna.

In earlier Majors play:

Ocean View 7, Westminster No. 2 5

The Ocean View Yankees rallied from a four-run deficit to win this

first-round contest.

Slater Davies had an RBI single and RBI double to ignite the

Yankees’ comeback. A six-hit, fifth inning which was highlighted by

Kyle Breedlove’s two-RBI single, Davies drove in two more runs to

push the Yanks ahead and Deondre Moss had an RBI single to pad the

lead to 7-5.

Yankees relief pitcher Mike MeGill recorded five strikeouts in the

final two innings to preserve the victory.

Ocean View No. 2 4, Westminster 2

Sean Carpentier and Sean Guite combined pitching efforts to limit

the Angels, the champions of Westminster, to just two runs.

Guite also got the Diamondbacks rolling on offense with an RBI

single and run scored in the fourth inning.

Matt Arledge doubled and Matt Cole laid down a bunt in the fifth

and both scored on a succession of passed balls and wild pitches to

push Ocean View into a 4-2 advantage.

Ocean View No. 2 8, Huntington Valley 6

The D’backs defeated their second division champion opponent by

outscoring the host Pirates.

Beau Amaral’s bases loaded single to left field drove in three

runs that wiped out a 3-2 deficit and gave Ocean View the lead for

good, 5-3.

Freddy Barron, who hit a clutch triple, pitched the final three

innings for the D’backs and preserved the lead.