Eastvale advances to West championship game - Riverside Press-Enterprise

LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL REGIONALS

Eastvale advances to West championship game

Erickson belts a grand slam and pitches two innings as Southern California champs beat Hawaii

Eastvale’s Preston Erickson (7) is greeted at the plate by his teammates after his grand slam during Tuesday’s Little League West Region semifinal. WILL LESTER — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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By Dennis Pope

Correspondent

SAN BERNARDINO >> Eastvale Little League is one win away from a trip to Williamsport, Pa.

Preston Erickson hit a grand slam and tossed two shutout innings in relief as Eastvale, Southern California’s 12-and-under champions, toppled Hawaii 11-3 on Tuesday in a Little League West Region semifinal at Al Houghton Stadium.

“The way the game was going, we knew we had to go for the ‘W’ today,” Eastvale manager Corey Tatum said. “Now we’re in a great position for Friday.”

Grant Gentner went 2 for 2 with three RBIs and two runs scored for SoCal, which has won nine consecutive games overall dating to the state tournament.

“We knew this was going to happen,” Gentner said. “We’re just very glad that we’re headed for the championship.”

Eastvale, Riverside County’s first representative at the West Region tournament, plays in the championship game on Friday at 6 p.m.

“This win really puts us in the best possible position for Friday; we get some rest, and we get our No. 1 (pitcher, Gavin Cruz) back,” Tatum said.

Michael Lontajo, Eastvale’s No. 2 starter, got the ball but struggled with nerves early, allowing back-to-back hits to start the game as East Central Maui LL, representing Hawaii, grabbed an early 1-0 lead.

“He had a little rough start but he found it,” said Gentner, Eastvale’s catcher.

SoCal shot back in the bottom of the first as Gabe Gutierrez, Jr. drew a walk, took second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a single from Cruz, and scored on a sacrifice fly from Gentner.

Lontajo bounced back with a nine-pitch second inning and a quiet third inning before running into trouble in the fourth and allowing a pair of runs before exiting on 85 pitches.

“He did well,” Tatum said. “He struggled in some counts, and he had to adjust to the umpire’s zone. Overall, he worked through it, and we’ll take it.”

Unwilling to give an inch, Gutierrez got SoCal going again in the bottom of the fourth, reaching on an error before coming around to score on a wild pitch.

Cruz, who has reached base in all six plate appearances in San Bernardino, followed with a walk and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Jack Mette. Gentner was pushed across with a bases loaded walk for a 4-3 lead.

Erickson came on to pitch the fifth and got two quick outs before allowing two base runners. He got out of the inning with a swinging strikeout.

Cameron Villamil led off the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run to deep center field for a 5-3 lead and six of the next seven Eastvale batters scored, capped by Erickson’s base-clearing blast for an 11-3 lead.

“I hit the ball and I knew it was gone the second it left my bat,” Erickson said. “When I was running the bases, I had a big smile on my face. I was happy.”

Erickson allowed the first three Hawaii hitters to reach in the sixth but got a force out and started a 1-6-3 double play to end the game, sending Eastvale onto Friday’s final.