Moorpark Little Leaguers Win One Mo’ Time in Regional, 12-4

Taking a few innings to build momentum has been Moorpark’s M.O. so far in the Little League Western Regional. But once they’ve cornered the “mo,” the 12-year-olds haven’t let it go.

Moorpark scored 11 runs in its last three at-bats to bolt to a 12-4 victory over Grand Junction, Colo., on Saturday night before 6,000 at Al Houghton Stadium.

Moorpark (14-2, 2-0 in the regional) will play Reno today at 5 p.m. in a third-round winner’s-bracket game. Moorpark must win three more games to advance to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

Shortstop Blake Sharpe led off the game with a home run to center, but the Moorpark offense was dormant until Aaron Garcia and Erik Johnson singled to begin the fourth and Michael Lopez walked to load the bases.

With one out, Justin Pizzola doubled to left-center field to score pinch-runner Brandon Williams and Johnson.

Keith Pabers followed Pizzola’s hit with a groundout to shortstop that scored Lopez, and David Burckin doubled to score Pizzola and give Moorpark a 5-0 lead.

Dane Griffin put Grand Junction (9-2, 1-1) on the scoreboard with a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth, but Johnson countered with a two-run blast of his own in the fifth to give Moorpark a 7-2 lead.

Johnson added a grand slam, his third homer in two games, with two out in the sixth.

Grand Junction, which managed only two hits in a 2-1 first-round victory over Santa Fe, N.M., collected a hit in each of the first three innings, two in the fourth and one in the fifth against Garcia, who was the winning pitcher in Moorpark’s first-round victory over Taylorsville.

Grand Junction left seven runners on base, including the bases loaded in the first when G.W. Lewellen grounded out to third baseman Pizzola.

Moorpark escaped a scare in the second when right-fielder Tommy Gunn made a diving catch toward the line on a drive by Jared Burek with two out and a runner on first.

The game did not begin until 9 p.m.--an hour past the scheduled start--because the previous game, a 14-10 victory by Issaquah, Wash., over Meridian, Idaho, went nine innings.