The Red Sox of the Turlock American Little League majors division claimed the Turlock City Championship on Thursday after defeating the Turlock National Little League’s Giants by a score of 10-0 in four innings at Julien Field. The win gives the Red Sox a 14-0 regular season finish.
“The boys played great and brought the City Championship banner back to Turlock American Little League,” said head coach Tom Waterson, referring to the fact that the Giants claimed the city championship last season to break a 14-year drought.
In the American Little League championship game on Saturday, the Red Sox took down the defending league champion Rangers 10-0 in four innings too. Pitcher Luke Stiles threw a four-inning no hitter, striking out eight. Elijah Tavares hit a two-run home run in the third inning to set the tone while Travis Bernard and Cru Hackett each went two for three. Ryker Hackett capped off the evening with a walk-off RBI single in the fourth inning to force a 10-run mercy rule victory.
“Luke had his best stuff tonight and dominated on the mound,” Waterson said. “Elijah's home run was big as it provided some separation in the score.”
The city championship game saw a similar story unfold on both sides of the ball. On the mound, Tavares took the ball and threw a four-inning no hitter of his own while striking out 11.
“Elijah was on fire on the mound and controlled the game from the beginning to the end,” Waterson said.
At the plate, Chase Waterson led the team, going two for two with three RBI, including a two-run single in the bottom of the fourth to extend the lead to 10 runs and end the game via the mercy rule once again.
“It’s a pleasure to coach this amazing group of boys,” Waterson said. “They are all gamers, have a ton of heart and are hard to beat.”
As for the Giants, their appearance in the city championship game was the result of overcoming some adversity. In the National Little League’s double elimination matchup with the Dodgers, they fell in the first game by a 1-0 score. In the second game to claim the league title, the offense exploded to win 10-3.
“That was a tight one to lose, but as far as the title game, the team was aggressive and the offense came alive,” said head coach David Seibert.
Leading the way for the Giants throughout the season was Cole McClendon, who Seibert described as a “major star.” In l Thursday’s 10-3 National Little League title game, he served as the sparkplug for his team at the top of the lineup, reaching base all three times he was at the plate with two hits, a walk and scoring all three times.
With the loss in the city championship game, the Giants wrapped up their season with a 15-4-1 record.
“I’m super proud of the team, especially in the ways they came together over the course of the season,” Seibert said.