First published in the July 9 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
The Crescenta Valley Little League All-Star team opened the California District 16 10-12 Division Tournament with a bang, defeating the Jewel City Little League of Glendale, 10-0, Thursday night in a five-inning game at Montrose Community Park.
CVLL’s Ben Kim put the game out of reach by blasting a towering three-run home run with one out in the fifth inning before Logan Mumenthaler scored the final run on a passed ball.
“Ben had been struggling in practice but [Wednesday] he had a breakout — he hit three home runs at practice,” CVLL manager Mike Miller said. “He was having a monster day, so I knew just leave him in there; he’s feeling good. It’s going to happen and sure enough, in a huge situation, it did.”
CVLL jumped to an early 3-0 lead after sending eight batters to the plate in the first inning. Eben Rodriguez registered the first base hit of the game and came around to score on Riley Brinton’s two-run single.
Mumenthaler had a masterful start on the mound for CVLL. He opened the game by retiring the side in order on strikes before adding two no-hit innings to finish his outing. He struck out seven and allowed three walks, but the stellar defense kept JCLL off the board.
“We had a couple of really big defensive plays,” Miller said. “Andrew Miller at third base took a line drive catch out there. It’s nice for a pitcher to know that they’ve got that kind of defense behind them.”
CVLL’s offense was ruthless, adding a run in the second, two in the fourth and four in the fifth to enact the “10-after-five” mercy rule.
Rodriguez did a little of everything at the plate, finishing 2-for-3 with two runs scored, an RBI and an intentional walk while swiping a bag on the basepaths. Brinton finished with three RBIs after adding one on a fielder’s choice in the fourth inning, while Mumenthaler went 2-for-4 with three runs scored.
Freddie Full recorded a base hit, an RBI and a run scored, and Joaquin Castro walked in all three of his plate appearances with a run scored. Oliver Sherman reached base on a pair of walks and scored two runs, while Andrew Miller walked once.
“It’s hard for me to make the lineup every day because I have great players on my bench,” Miller said. “I’ve got two or three guys on the bench that have home run power. I’ve got six or seven guys that can pitch, so we’ll have a lot of guys getting some action.”
Sherman relieved Mumenthaler to start the fourth inning and kept Jewel City in check, allowing just one hit with a pair of strikeouts over two scoreless innings.
JCLL’s Rollie Cherwick, who entered as a pinch hitter in the top of the fourth, collected the lone base hit. Meanwhile, teammates Jacob Vangar, Tyler Freeman and Xavier Graham each finished with a walk.
“Rollie is a great hitter and he had a great season,” JCLL manager Roger Vega said. “It’s a tough spot to come in as a pinch hitter against a really good pitcher, but he got the bat on the ball and drove it really well to right-center. I’m very proud of him.”
Graham pitched an inning as the starter and allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits and two walks. Vangar pitched 1.2 innings in relief, striking out a pair while allowing one unearned run on a hit and two walks. Nathaniel Palmer also pitched 1.2 innings of relief and gave up six runs (four earned) on four hits and three walks with a pair of strikeouts.
“CV always puts a great team together. I think my kids didn’t give up, they played hard, put the ball in play and that’s just the way the game is sometimes,” Vega said. “We’ve got one more game on Saturday and that’ll decide the tournament. We’re hoping the kids come out to play and just give it their best.”
Jewel City’s All-Stars will look to rebound in a matinee rematch with CVLL today at Montrose Park at noon.
