Baseball: Mesa rally comes up just short

Richard Dunn

WESTMINSTER - In breaking out offensively, it was a case of too

little, too late for the Costa Mesa American Little League 9- and

10-year-old All-Stars Tuesday.

Three outs away from elimination in the District 62 All-Star

Tournament at Johnson Middle School, and trailing, 5-0, Costa Mesa

rallied for four runs and loaded the bases, before Fountain Valley held

on for a 5-4 victory to advance in the loser’s bracket.

After playing 10 innings in the tournament without scoring a run,

Costa Mesa sent 10 hitters to the plate in the sixth inning and turned

the contest into a thriller.

Fountain Valley right-hander Doug Hansen cruised for 5 1/3 innings,

but couldn’t close the door on Mesa, which had only two hits before

collecting five in its final at-bat.

With one out, Costa Mesa’s Mike Wilson reached base on an infield

single, Benjamin Lounsbury walked and Ryan Boulger singled to fill the

bases, then Wilson scored from third on a wild pitch to end Costa Mesa’s

scoring drought.

Costa Mesa’s Elliott Patton, the next hitter, laced a wicked

one-hopper past Fountain Valley second baseman Tyler Buckles into right

field for a two-run single, scoring Lounsbury and Boulger, then Jake

Johnston walked to put the tying run aboard.

Chris Martinez relieved Hansen and promptly induced Mesa’s Jesse

Dawson to hit into a fielder’s choice, with Patton erased at third base

for the second out.

But Costa Mesa leadoff hitter Mike Kelly grounded a single to center

field to reload the bases and Jordan Palmer singled to left field to

score Johnston to cut Fountain Valley’s lead to 5-4 with the bases loaded

for the third time in the inning. But that was the end of Mesa’s

fireworks.

In the fourth, Costa Mesa had its only other hits, when Boulger

doubled and Grady Kough singled with two outs. Both runners were

stranded.

“Ryan Boulger had a good series with three doubles (in two games),”

Costa Mesa Manager Charlie Christiansen said. “And he’s the only

9-year-old on the team. Ben Lounsbury pitched well and Elliott Patton got

a nice hit.”

The All-Stars play in their respective Little League’s minor division

during the regular season.

Fountain Valley, the designated hosts, scored five runs on just four

hits against Lounsbury (four innings on the mound) and Wilson (one). The

hosts scored once in the second inning and four times in the fourth.

In the fifth, Costa Mesa left fielder Palmer made a sparkling catch

while running to his left to end the inning.