Turlock American Little League teams claimed Turlock’s two city championships last month at Soderquist Field in dominant fashion ahead of this week’s postseason slate.
At the Majors level, the Yankees defeated Turlock National Little Leagues Dodgers by a 14-2 score on June 2. The champions finished their season with a 17-2 record.
Down in the Minors, the Iron Pigs claimed this year’s city title with a 10-0 win against TNLL’s Bulls on June 3 and capped an undefeated, 15-0 campaign.
Each of this year’s big winners took command of their respective championship games in the first inning.
For the Yankees, they jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first after Gage Bettencourt smacked a bases-clearing triple down the right field line. The score remained the same until the fourth frame, in which Bettencourt scored on a wild pitch and Isaac Hernandez Ortega stole home
Osvaldo Gonzalez of the Dodgers pulled off a steal of himself in the bottom half of the inning to cut into the deficit before the Yankees added on twice in the fifth by way of an RBI single from Emmitt Fetter and a two-run knock from Camden Lewis.
The Yankees blew the game open with six runs in the sixth. The scoring frenzy began when Luis Alonzo Ortega Sanchez and Blaze Laird scored on an error following a sharply hit grounder off the bat of Brixton Aubertin. The third run came on an RBI single from Fetter, who scored alongside Cade Faria on a two-run double by Lewis.
Lewis earned the victory after striking out nine and allowing just one run on four hits and two walks over four innings. Aubertin finished the job by striking out a pair, allowing no hits and limiting the Dodgers to just one unearned run in his two innings of work.
As for the Iron Pigs, they received more contributions from the Fetter and Aubertin family.
Everitt Fetter, the third batter of the game, began the scoring with an RBI triple. It was followed by an RBI single from Beau Borges. Six pitches later, Isaac Placencia smacked a line drive to left field and used his speed to round the bases for an inside-the-park, two-run home run. Hunter Cole capped the early scoring by touching home after a passed ball.
In the second inning, Nathan Halteman continued the momentum by stealing third and scurrying home on a throwing error on the same sequence. Killian Aubertin followed with an RBI single before Fetter lined an inside-the-park homer to left field of his own to plate three more runs.
Jaxon Gleason served as the starter for the Iron Pigs, striking out six and holding the Bulls hitless in his three innings. Fetter closed the ballgame out in the fourth by striking out a pair and only allowing one baserunner via a walk.
Watching from the dugout in each championship was Rick Fetter, head coach of the Yankees and assistant to skipper Andy Aubertin of the Iron Pigs, who had a third son, Beckitt, on the title-winning minors team roster
Earlier in the week, Fetter Turlock American Little League announced its nomination of Fetter for Outstanding Little League Coach of the Year, supported by Positive Coaching Alliance. Fetter has served in a number of roles for Turlock American Little League over the past six years, and this week during the District 73 playoffs began his second season as an All-Star coach with the 11U squad and as TALL’s coach pitch coordinator.
A recap of the District 73 championships will be in Wednesday’s Journal.
