“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Or so Charles Dickens would have you believe this last Sunday, if he were a Santa Barbaran cheering on his 11-year-old youth all-star team. The Goleta Valley South Little League 11U All-Star team (GVSLL) was facing the Orcutt National 11U All-Star team (Orcutt) in the Section 1 Championship game this last Sunday afternoon. GVSLL had entered the game from the winner’s bracket having already beat Orcutt in the first game a few days earlier. However, Orcutt’s offense proved to be too much for GVSLL in the opening championship game.
Orcutt set the tone early, erupting for a massive 10 runs in the first two innings. However, GVSLL fought back in the second inning by answering with three runs to get on the board. Brooks Caldwell hit a single and scored on Rafa Berumen’s single. Liam Anderson then scored on Anders Runquist’s single, and Berumen crossed the plate on Nathan Diaz’s single, bringing the score to 10-3.
The game continued with strong pitching performances and some scattered hits in the middle innings. Orcutt added one run to their lead in the top of the third to bring the score to 11-3. It wasn’t until the bottom of the 5th, that GVSLL managed to scratch across one more run as Nathan Diaz scored on a passed ball, making the score 11-4. But time ran out on GVSLL as they could not dig themselves out of the hole at the end of the 6th.
Liam Anderson started on the mound for GVSLL and struck out one batter and Benn Hause came in for relief and finished the game for GVSLL going 83 pitches and striking out five batters.
Game 2 Section 1 Championship
BUT… that was not going to be the end of the story for this team from Santa Barbara. There was a 45-minute break before the final championship game (necessary since Orcutt was coming out of the loser’s bracket and GVSLL had not lost until that game). GVSLL re-grouped, talked about what they learned from the previous game and what they needed to focus on and do better. And these 11-year-olds did not stay down, they listened and responded in-kind.
It was GVSLL’s turn to showcase their offensive prowess. In a thrilling contest marked by aggressive base running and timely hitting, the GVSLL 11U All-Stars emerged victorious over the Orcutt National All-Stars 11s with a final score of 11-5. The game saw momentum shifts, crucial errors, and a display of resilience from both sides.
This time GVSLL was the visiting team, and they wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in the top of the 1st inning. Jase Hooper led off with a walk, followed by Cade Venegas being hit by a pitch, quickly putting two runners on. After a line out and a strikeout, the 11U All-Stars capitalized on Orcutt’s pitching woes with savvy base-running by Hooper scoring a passed ball, and Venegas advancing to third on the same play, and then scored on another passed ball during Dylan Corlett’s walk. Brooks Caldwell went three-for-three on the day and started off his offensive onslaught delivering a crucial blow to Orcutt with a triple coming from a line drive to center field, bringing in Corlett and extending the lead to 3-0.
Orcutt tried to respond in the bottom of the 1st, but GVSLL made good defensive plays with two tough put-outs by short stop Cade Venegas and then Dylan Corlett chasing a ball in right field to secure the out and hold the shutout for that inning.
GVSLL continued their offensive push in the top of the 2nd with Rafa Berumen and Ethan Sierra hitting back-to-back singles. A passed ball allowed Berumen to score and Sierra to advance to third, bringing the score to 4-0 before the inning concluded.
Orcutt showed signs of life in the bottom of the 2nd, hitting balls into the gaps which narrowed the score to 4-2at the close of the second.
The top of the 3rd saw Jase Hooper walk, and then steal second and third. He then scored on a passed ball, pushing the 11U All-Stars’ lead to 5-2. Benn Hause hit a shot to the outfield earning himself a double, but the inning ended with him stranded on base.
The bottom of the 3rd proved to be Orcutt’s most productive inning. After a line out, they hit consecutive singles and leveled the score at 5-5 in a dramatic turnaround.
However, GVSLL was determined not to go down or lose momentum. Each time Orcutt was within striking distance, they pounced on them snuffing out any slight momentum Orcutt thought they were getting. In the top of the 4th GVSLL regained control with Brooks Caldwell answering the call again with a single. Liam Anderson walked which gave Rafa Berumen the opportunity they were looking for, which he seized with a crucial double, bringing in both Anderson and Caldwell, and putting GVSLL back in front 7-5. Anders Runquist added a single, but Orcutt managed to close out the inning leaving Berumen and Runquist on base.
Orcutt struggled to respond in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Brooks Caldwell had been managing things from the mound for GVSLL since his opening pitch of the game. He retired two batters with strike outs and in a dramatic close to the inning, a shallow fly ball to right field was grabbed by Jase Hooper running backwards to get it from second base. He picked it up and without hesitation gunned it to catcher Liam Anderson who reached out towards the first base-side and then dove back to home plate with ball in glove to tag the runner as he was sliding home. It was the play that took the wind out of Orcutt’s sails.
The 5th inning was quiet by both teams. Brooks Caldwell had to leave the mound on the last batter, having drawn his pitch limit. He ended at 88 pitches on the day with three strikeouts and throwing over 60% strikes. Luke Brennan came in to relieve and with a single pitch, he drew a hit to Caldwell at short to close out the inning.
In the final inning you could feel the energy bursting out of the GVSLL dugout. Determined to put the game out of reach in the top of the 6th, Brooks Caldwell and Liam Anderson started off with singles. Rafa Berumen and Ethan Sierra each singled with Anderson scoring after an errant throw from the outfield. Anders Runquist got his second hit of the day with a single that brought in Berumen (who went three-for-three on the day). Nathan Diaz then hit a deep fly out to center field which brought Sierra in after tagging up. Finally, Quincy Niksto laid down a gutsy bunt and with great speed down the first baseline he beat it out for a single, which brough in Runquist for a run, bringing the score to 11-5.
The GVSLL players knew they were on the verge of taking home the title. They came out with a vengeance in the bottom of the 6th inning to make sure they were going to be the ones holding the banner at the end of the day. Orcutt was unable to mount a comeback in the bottom of the 6th, with three consecutive ground outs with the first out being a grounder to second basemen Jase Hooper. The last two outs ended in dramatic fashion and were a fitting end to the storybook all-star season this Goleta Valley team was having. With a shot into the gap, the ball was hit hard up the center, but Brooks Caldwell laid out and captured the ball in his glove in while diving and popped up and gunned the ball to first base with an outstanding stretch by first baseman Benn Hause. And for the final out on the next play, a shot in the same spot drew the same instinctual reaction by Caldwell as he laid out again, popped up and gunned the runner out with Hause giving that long stretch again to ensure the ball beat the Orcutt player to the base.
It was a hard-fought game showcasing strong offensive performances and was a testament to the Goleta Valley South Little League 11U All-Stars’ ability to capitalize on opportunities and come up and make big plays when they mattered most.
With Brooks Caldwell delivering most of the pitches for GVSLL on the mound (again, 88 pitches in total), Luke Brennan proved equally effective closing out the last inning and a third by throwing only 6 total pitches with five of the six going for strikes and putting GVSLL’s defense in great position to close the door.
GVSLL’s thrilling 11-5 victory over Orcutt brings home the Section 1 Championship Banner and will keep their train rolling to the State Tournament that begins this Saturday, July 19th.
The GVSLL 11U All-Star Team includes Liam Anderson, Rafael Berumen, Luke Brennan, Brooks Caldwell, Dylan Corlett, Nathan Diaz, Benn Hause, Jase Hooper, Quincy Niksto, Anders Runquist, Ethan Sierra and Cade Venegas.
The team is managed by Bryan Corlett, with assistant coaches Evan Hause and Jacob Niksto.
