Seven Consecutive Wins Gives SGV Ruth Series Title

It looked like an impossibility after San Gabriel Valley lost its first game in the Babe Ruth 16-18 World Series in Newark, Ohio on Aug. 18.

The team would have had to win seven straight games in order to capture the championship, but that’s exactly what SGV did.

SGV capped its amazing run to the title with a 7-4 win over the team from Licking County, Ohio. The contest ended in dramatic fashion as SGV’s Bryan Longpre came to the mound as a reliever in the bottom of the seventh inning with the bases loaded and two outs. He struck out Ryan Nutter to give SGV the championship.

Earlier, Rob Rasmussen had started for SGV. He hurled the first three innings, giving up three hits, one earned run and struck out two.

SGV found itself behind 2-0 in the top of the fourth inning. Eddie McKiernan knocked in Willie Sandez to close the gap to 2-1. Ryan Brown singled in McKiernan to tie the score at 2-2.

SGV scored the rest of its runs in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly by Sandez, runs batted in by Dustin Emmons and Jesus Campos and the final run scored on a balk by McKiernan.

Licking County railed in the seventh inning with two more runs before Longpre came in to shut the door.Cesar Martinez, who hurled two innings, got the win. Nick Kennedy also relieved for an inning-and two-thirds before Longpre arrived.

Sandez, Brown, Campos and Jordon Larson had two hits each while McKiernan added a hit, an RBI and two runs scored.

In the earlier game on that day against Licking County, SGV squeezed by with a 1-0 victory to force the second contest.

McKiernan scored the only run of the game in the fifth inning on a pinch hit single by Matt Smoley. He had earlier singled and had advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Campos and a wild pitch.

Kameron Kruse started for SGV and went five innings. He allowed only three hits. Longpre relieved for the last two innings, allowing only one hit while striking out two.