McKenzie carries Gangi to semifinals
Edgar Melik-Stepanyan
Gangi Builders Major Baseball player Matt McKenzie ended any hopes
of a Yankees’ comeback in a span of a few seconds -- the amount of
time it took for his second home run of the game to sail over the
left-field fence.
With his team clinging to a one-run lead in the fifth inning,
McKenzie’s three-run blast, his second of the season, gave Gangi a
four-run cushion in a 7-4 Little League District 16 Tri-Cities
Tournament quarterfinal victory at Montrose Park.
Gangi (17-11) will play either Foothill League runner-up Holmes &
Holmes or the Jewel City Frogs at 5 p.m. Friday at Montrose Park in
the semifinals.
The Yankees -- the Tujunga League’s top seed -- will play in a
second-chance bracket contest at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Tujunga
Little League Field against an opponent to be determined.
McKenzie went three for three, drove in five runs and
single-handedly put the Yankees (19-8) -- who received a first-round
bye -- on the brink of elimination. He also started the game on the
mound, tossing five innings, allowing four runs, seven hits and
striking out four.
“This is a kind of kid every manager wants because he’s a
competitor,” Gangi Coach Curt Chase said. “I never lost confidence in
him because he goes in there and competes hard.
“He deserves this kind of performance.”
McKenzie’s six-inning performance in a Crescenta Valley Little
League playoff game ensured Gangi a spot in the Tri-Cities
Tournament.
“He’s our No. 1 guy to go to when we need a win,” Chase said.
Gangi, which defeated the Burbank Indians, 13-2, in the opening
round, continued its offensive onslaught. McKenzie and Alex Inda
both scored twice, and A.J. Bernhardt, Cory Galbraith and Kevin Chase
also added a run.