Glendale/La Crescenta Babe Ruth 13s stopped by familiar foe in Simi Valley

Two days removed from a tournament-opening 10-run loss to Simi Valley, the Glendale/La Crescenta 13-year-old Babe Ruth team found the same foe standing in front of it and a possible berth in the State All-Star Tournament final on Sunday.

The game played out in largely more favorable fashion for the locals, but ultimately brought about the same conclusion, as a late rally came up just short with Simi Valley defeating La Crescenta, 6-5, Saturday morning at Stengel Field.

“A lot different. A lot closer,” said La Crescenta Manager Juan Pablo Valdez, whose team opened the tournament on Thursday with a 13-3 loss before rebounding with a 9-3 victory against Heartwell on Friday. “The kids were more focused, more determined. The win yesterday really helped their confidence.”

La Crescenta trailed, 6-3, heading into the bottom of the seventh inning before pushing across a pair of runs and loading the bases. But with the bases loaded, the final two outs were recorded by Simi Valley via strikeouts looking.

“We came back, we made it a close game,” said Valdez, who cited the contributions of Matt Gockey at first base and Xavier Duvon on the mound.
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Follow Grant Gordon on Twitter: @TCNGrantGordon.