In order to be the champ, one must beat the champ.
The Watsonville 14U All-Stars squad did exactly just that following an 8-1 victory against defending back-to-back champion Santa Cruz All-Stars in the PONY NorCal Coast Region championship at Franich Field in Watsonville on July 5.
“It’s a big accomplishment because we’ve always been in that race to battle with Santa Cruz or Mid County,” Watsonville coach Moises Leonor said. “We’re like the three-headed monster when it comes to Santa Cruz County.”
During the Coast Region tourney, Watsonville opened with an 8-1 win over Marina All-Stars, followed by a 2-0 triumph against Mid-County All-Stars behind a combined one-hit performance.
Watsonville has showcased balanced baseball in every phase of the game throughout the regional tournament.
On the mound, pitchers Andrew Ruiz, Mel Martinez, Andre Diaz and Dante Ponce combined for a 0.00 earned run average in three games.
Behind the plate, catcher Julien Montes helped anchor the defense by throwing out six of seven attempted base stealers during the regional tournament, while the offense received contributions throughout the batting lineup.
Others on the roster include Robin Casella-Kummerer, Aaron Garcia, Adrian Garcia, Adam Guerrero, Avery Keller, Carmelo Luna, Mateo Luna, Freddie Deion Martinez and Isaac Paz-Vargas.
On Tuesday, the youngsters proved that resilience, teamwork and timely hitting can carry a team a long way. They wasted no time carrying that momentum into the next stage of postseason play.
Watsonville rallied from a 5-0 deficit entering the bottom of the sixth inning to defeat Paso Robles All-Stars, 6-5, in dramatic fashion in the teams’ opener of the Super Regional tournament at Bel Passi Ballpark in Modesto.
“It was pretty nerve-wracking,” said Leonor, who refused to hang his head and give up while watching from the dugout. “I’m telling the boys the same thing, game isn’t over, don’t let the time run out on you.”
Leonor said they were in a situation where anything could’ve happened, and all they needed was one batter to reach base to get the ball rolling.
Paz-Vargas began the rally by drawing a walk, and the rest was history.
“Eventually with that first guy getting on, it just kind of snowballed,” Leonor said.
Watsonville, which pounded out a total of 12 base hits, erupted for six runs in the sixth frame.
The inning was highlighted by Ponce’s two-run single, followed by Adrian Garcia delivering the game-winning RBI single to complete the come-from-behind win.
Ponce batted a perfect 4-for-4 with a pair of RBIs, while “Freddie Ice” Martinez earned the win in relief while striking out five over three innings.
Watsonville continues postseason play against hosts Bel Passi on Friday at 7:30pm. The winner will continue its journey toward the West Zone Tournament in West Covina and, ultimately, the PONY World Series in Washington, Pennsylvania.
If there’s one thing Leonor, along with fellow coaches Mel Martinez Sr. and Cesar Garcia, have to tell the players moving forward it’s, “Never give up,” Leonor said. “It ain’t over until you know who sings.”
