After Turlock American Little League claimed four District 73 baseball banners, Turlock National Little League took home three of their own between its softball and baseball programs.
Of the local Little League teams to win each of the seven District 73 championships, two ultimately advanced to their respective state tournaments.
“Our tournament season is so short, but in a lot of ways is the most meaningful time for those that make the teams,” said TNLL President Regina Coletto as she reflected on the summer. “It's an honor to be selected as a player and also as a coach.
“Turlock teams in both baseball and softball took all seven district titles home this season and that's something to be proud of, whether you play for Turlock American or for Turlock National.”
District 73 tournaments wraps up with TNLL wins
On the boys side, the TNLL 12s won the organization's first district championship in baseball since 2012.
After beginning the tournament with an 11-5 loss, the TNLL All-Stars ran the table with three straight wins. They bounced back with a 12-2 win over Yosemite before beating Turlock American by a 4-2 score to set themselves up for a championship series rematch with TALL.
Turlock American, needing to win two games, won the first game 7-1 on July 10 before Turlock National clinched the next day with a 6-3 victory.
The complete TNLL 12s baseball roster is as follows: Alonzo Vazquez, Gavin Seibert, Joaquin Plascencia, Joshua Avila, Josiah Gonzales, Logan Rios, Omar Perez, Osvaldo Gonzalez, Sergio Valencia II, Carlos Cervantes, Cesar Aguilar, David Gaitan.
Also lifting a District 73 banner were the TNLL Softball 10s with a pair of dominant wins over Atwater Little League. TNLL 10s began their run with 13-0 win and clinched two days later with a 10-0 rout of TALL.
TNLL continued to win in the early stages of the Valley Section championship with a 9-8 win against Madera National and a 12-10 victory over Sequoia. Sequoia would then win two straight against TNLL by scores of 8-2 and 7-2 to end the team’s playoff run.
The complete TNLL 10s softball roster is as follows: Alexis Teixira, Aubrie Silva, Bailee Kindberg, Jayden Perez, Korah Perales, Luella Perry, Macie Mayer, Olivia Aguiniga, Olivia Tokunaga, Paige Purnell, Peyton Gaitan, Raegan King.
TNLL Softball 12s win Valley Section championship
For the second straight season, the TNLL Softball 12s won the District 73 and Valley Section championships.
Again, a lopsided two-game sweep of Atwater got the job done for the 12s. The first score was 16-6 on June 16 and the clincher came a day later, 14-0.
The dominance continued in the Valley Section tournament with a 19-0 win over Wasco on June 27. Later that day, they beat Madera National by a 9-1 score. A rematch against Madera the next day resulted in an 8-4 win for TNLL to punch a ticket to NorCals.
In the state tourney, TNLL kept the good times rolling with a 13-0 win against Almaden, but ended up losing 4-3 to Live Oak and 7-6 to Pinole Hercules.
The complete TNLL 12s softball roster is as follows: Addison Rossiter, Addison Long, Kaelyn Villegas, London Silva, Maylee Maciel, McKinley Sousa, Meya Castle, RaeLynn Bray, Stella Rossiter, Bayleigh Marruffo, Camilla Torres, Evelyn Reyes.
TALL 11s take Section 6 title
Also appearing in their respective state tournament were the TALL 11s.
Following the District 73 title win on July 3, the 11s took to the field again on July18 in the Section 6 tournament opener with a 15-0 win against Amador West. The next day TALL was edged out by Ripon, 6-5, but were able to remain alive with a 12-0 win over Delta Sunrise. That win set up a rematch with Ripon, which ended in an 8-7 thriller that was this time in favor of Turlock American. In the third and decisive meeting between the two teams, TALL took control and came out with an 11-1 win and the section banner.
“I'm so proud of this group of boys,” said head coach Rick Fetter. “They weren't just a great team on the field, their team work and bond made this team what it was. Game after game somebody stepped up to help the team achieve a goal. Every game had a different MVP.”
The NorCal tourney began with a 6-4 loss to Folsom on July 25, but TALL bounced back with a 16-6 win against Porterville. The summer run eventually ended on July 27 with a 6-0 loss to San Ramon.
The complete TALL 11s roster is as follows: Brixton Aubertin, Kevin Bray, Pierce Campbell, Cade Faria, Emmitt Fetter, Lucas Gomez, Shan Keane, Blake Loftin, Jett Romero, Greyson Tovar, Kellen Vasquez, Sawyer Vilas.
