After winning the Turlock American Little League title and the coveted City Championship, the Red Sox have put the cherry on top of their season by claiming the District Tournament of Champions crown last week, winning four of five games in the double elimination tournament.
In their first game on June 4, the Sox took on Yosemite, where they won 15-2 in just four innings. Oliver Bruerton started the game on the mound and earned the win after tossing two innings, allowing two runs and striking out three. He was on the front end of an eventual combined one-hitter. At the plate, Cru Hackett went two for two with three runs scored.
The next day against Mariposa, similar dominance was displayed in another four-inning game, this time with a 10-0 final score. Chase Waterson started the game on the mound and earned the win after throwing 2 1/3 innings of scoreless ball, allowing only one hit while striking out a pair. Luke Stiles and Elijah Tavares each had two hits at the plate.
On Tuesday, Los Banos, who were also undefeated in the tournament at the time, experienced the same fate, falling to the Red Sox 11-1 in yet another four-inning game. Tavares served as the starting pitcher and earned the win. In relief came Waterson, and the two combined to throw another one-hitter. Waterson also helped his own cause on the mound with two and three RBI. Stiles was another big contributor at the plate as he went three for three with a home run. There were also three runs driven in between Chase and Travis Bernard.
The championship series kicked off on Thursday against Atwater, and it saw the Red Sox lose their first game of the tournament by an 8-5 score. The loss was avenged in the second game on Friday, as the Turlock team came away with an 11-4 victory to clinch the championship.
The Red Sox were off to the races in the top of the first inning, scoring six runs. At the plate, Stiles led the game off with a triple, one of two hits on the night. Travis Bernard and Marco Soria also racked up two hits each while driving in two runs and three runs, respectively. Meanwhile, Waterson had a single, a walk and stole a pair of bases. Soria scored three runs of his own, including one via a steal of home.
“I am proud of how our team responded to the loss and came out and took care of business,” said head coach Tom Waterson. “Scoring six runs in the top of the first inning set the tone for the game and this team never looked back."
Stiles also started on the mound and proceeded to throw 5 1/3 innings in a winning effort.
"This game was a true team effort on both sides of the ball,” Waterson continued. “The Red Sox played like champions and brought the TOC championship banner back to Turlock American Little League.”
