Northridge Little League National Champions : Game-by-Game Account of Road to Williamsport : DISTRICT 40 TOURNAMENT

Northridge 39, Central Mountain 0--Northridge slugged 26 hits, including home runs by Matt Cunningham, Nathaniel Dunlap, Spencer Gordon and Justin Gentile. Gordon and Gentile combined on a no-hitter. Michael Nesbit scored three runs and Scott Drake Jr. and Todd Delevie each scored two in a game called after four innings.

Northridge 19, Mission Hills 4--Dunlap pitched a complete game and accounted for all but three outs with strikeouts. Gentile blasted two home runs. Matt Fisher, Peter Tuber and David Teraoka also homered.

Northridge 13, Canyon Country West 1--Gentile hit his fourth and fifth home runs, and Cunningham pitched allowed two hits with nine strikeouts. Cunningham and Matt Cassel also hit home runs. Jonathan Higashi had two hits, including a double.

Northridge 6, Woodland Hills 4--Shut out by Woodland Hills pitcher James Adkins for five innings, Northridge scored four times in the sixth to force extra innings, then pushed over two more in the eighth to win. A single by Fisher drove in Tuber with the go-ahead run. Gregg Wallis singled home Fisher for an insurance run. In the sixth, Cunningham’s three-run home run started the rally. Dunlap singled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Cassel for the tying run. Dunlap pitched all eight innings, striking out 11.

Northridge 5, Woodland Hills 3--A two-run single by Fisher was the key hit in a four-run first inning as Northridge avenged a 1993 District 40 title game loss to Woodland Hills. Cunningham pitched a complete game.

SECTION 2 TOURNAMENT

Northridge 18, South El Monte 3--Dunlap’s second pitching start of the playoffs resulted in his second 15-strikeout performance. Cassel and Tuber homered to pace a 16-hit attack at Woodland Hills.

Northridge 8, Crescenta Valley 7--A single by Frost, two walks and a run-scoring hit by Dunlap pushed over the winning run in the seventh as Northridge won its second extra-inning game. In the third inning, Northridge completed a triple play (9-2-5-6-3-4) started by right fielder Gordon.

Northridge 9, Crescenta Valley 1--Tuber struck out 11 in five innings, then Dunlap struck out the side in the sixth as Northridge cruised to the sectional championship. Dunlap also had a home run and a double to pace a 10-hit Northridge attack. Cunningham was three for three.

DIVISION II TOURNAMENT

Northridge 11, Chino American 2--A four-run second inning and a four-run fourth provided plenty of room for Dunlap, who retired the final 13 batters--striking out the last six at Rialto. Tuber slugged a two-run home run, and Wallis, Cunningham and Dunlap had doubles in the fourth. Dunlap pitched a three-hitter with 12 strikeouts.

Northridge 6, Whittier 2--Cunningham had two hits, two walks, scored twice and contributed a home run-robbing catch at the center-field fence. Gordon had three hits, including a run-scoring double. Gentile struck out 13 and pitched a four-hitter.

Northridge 23, Vista National 6--Fisher and Tuber combined for 10 of Northridge’s 26 hits. Tuber hit a grand slam, and Higashi, Fisher and Dunlap also homered.

Northridge 11, Whittier 0--Dunlap, dedicating the performance to his grandfather who died three days earlier, pitched a one-hitter and struck out nine. Tuber celebrated his birthday by hitting his fourth home run in as many tournament games. Higashi and Cassel also homered.

WESTERN REGIONAL

Northridge 14, Anchorage, Alaska 2--Higashi was out of the lineup, Frost was in, and Northridge kept right on rolling. Higashi, the team’s starting catcher, was removed from the team after a letter sent to Little League officials revealed he lived outside the league’s boundaries. Cunningham moved in behind the plate from right field and Frost filled the outfield slot. Frost had three hits, including a two-run home run in the game at San Bernardino. Gordon and Fisher also hit two-run homers. Tuber and Dunlap combined on a one-hitter, but the game was close until Northridge scored 10 times in the fifth.

Northridge 10, Las Vegas 0--Gentile hit. Gentile pitched. Northridge hit the jackpot. Gentile’s solo home run in the fourth and two-run shot in the fifth backed his own dominant pitching. He struck out 10 and cruised after pitching out of a first-inning, bases-loaded jam. Cassel also homered.

Northridge 12, Altamont, N.M. 0--Tuber was pitching a perfect game until he allowed a single with two out in the fifth. He settled for a one-hitter, striking out eight and walking one. Cunningham had three hits and scored twice. Fisher and Wallis each added two hits.

Northridge 3, Taylorsville, Utah 1--In a duel between hard-throwing Dunlap and Schafer Magana, Utah’s-breaking ball specialist, Northridge survived by scoring twice on wild pitches. Magana allowed four hits. Dunlap threw a two-hitter and struck out eight.

Northridge 17, Waianae Hawaii 7--Cunningham was hitless in three at-bats with a key defensive miscue when he stepped to the plate in the sixth in a 7-7 tie. He homered to spark a 10-run inning as Northridge became the first team from the San Fernando Valley to advance to the Little League World Series since 1975. For good measure, Cunningham added a grand slam later in the inning. Fisher contributed three of Northridge’s 18 hits. Tuber won his third game of the regional, striking out 11 in 5 1/3 innings of relief.

WORLD SERIES

Brooklyn Center, Minn. 4, Northridge 2--A trend continued. Teams from Northridge in 1967 and ’75 also lost their first World Series games. Unfortunately for them, the tournament had a single-elimination format then. After averaging more than 13 runs a game in winning 17 consecutive postseason games, Northridge was held to one hit by right-hander Steve Kruger in Williamsport, Pa. Cunningham provided the only hit, a home run in his first World Series at-bat and his third home run in his last three at-bats. Dunlap struck out 13, but allowed three runs with two out in the fifth inning.

Northridge 6, Middleboro, Mass. 4--What, him worry? Not Cassel. Instead of fretting over Northridge’s tenuous position, the Northridge first baseman did something about it. Cassel’s three-run home run in the third gave Northridge a 4-0 lead. A solo homer by Gentile in the fourth proved decisive. Tuber struck out 13 and pitched a complete game.

Northridge 2, Springfield, Va. 0--Northridge got the victory it needed to advance to the U.S. title game behind a one-hit pitching performance by Gentile, who struck out 13 and walked two. The only hit he allowed was a single by Eric Miller leading off the game. Northridge scored on a single by Dunlap in the third and a sacrifice fly by Frost in the sixth.

Northridge 3, Springfield, Va. 0--And Springfield thought Gentile was tough. Dunlap almost duplicated his teammate’s pitching performance of the previous day, allowing only one hit and striking out 10 without a walk. Dunlap finished the playoffs with 103 strikeouts in 54 innings. He carried a no-hitter into the sixth, and when Ethan Lare, Springfield’s best hitter, came to the plate with two on and two outs, Dunlap struck him out on three pitches--all fastballs. Gordon’s three-run, first-inning homer provided all the runs. Gentile had two doubles and Cassel had a pair of singles.

Maracaibo, Venezuela 4, Northridge 3--Gentile and his palm ball were baffling Venezuelan hitters. Then lightning struck. Rain, hail and lightning forced a three-hour delay. After play resumed, Northridge’s right-hander gave up seven hits and unleashed five wild pitches. Cesar Hidalgo pitched a three-hitter for Venezuela. The only earned run he allowed was a fifth-inning solo home run by Gordon. Tuber and Cassel had Northridge’s only other hits--both singles. Hidalgo, throwing fastballs in the low-to-mid 70 m.p.h.-range, struck out 10 and walked two. Gentile struck out eight.