The Turlock American Little League 10-year-old All-Stars are heading to the State tournament after they swept through the Section 6 tournament this past weekend, ending with an 11-1 four-inning mercy-rule win over Linden on Tuesday from Christa McAuliffe Middle School.
“I expected us to be here, winning District and Sections. Did I expect the disparity? No, but we are consistent,” said Turlock head coach Courtney Keyler. “We play strong, sound baseball and have strong pitching. We will bring our team to Rocklin and not be intimidated by any team. We will compete hard.”
Turlock outscored its three opponents in Sections, 32-4, to secure a 3-0 record.
Prior to the Section tournament, Turlock swept through the District 73 tournament, going a perfect 3-0 in the process.
From there, they kicked off Sections on Saturday. In that game, Turlock held Linden to just two hits while the offense went off, with the help of the entire roster said Keyler.
They went up 9-1 going into the sixth inning.
From there they notched four runs in the sixth, winning the game, 13-1.
This earned them a spot in the semifinal against Manteca where they came out on top after Braydon Keyler and Aidan De los Santos each had three hits for the game.
Cam Kelley had a pair of hits while Mason Hackler, Cruz Contreras and Kelley pitched a combined six innings.
The game was 3-2 heading into the fifth inning, then a couple calls that could have gone either way were stalled and then in the top of the sixth, Turlock pulled away for good.
They rallied with a five-run inning to cap off the game and win it, 8-2.
This win earned them a spot in the final on Tuesday against Linden, a team they had previously beaten.
They batted just three innings, scoring seven in the third inning as they dominated and won it, 11-1.
Aidan De los Santos had four RBI, Keyler added two hits while three pitchers tossed three innings.
The game was 4-1 after the first and then going into the third, Turlock tacked on seven runs to win in mercy-rule fashion.
“Dominant win, extremely sound baseball, strong hitting, nice hits,” Keyler said. “It was a tremendous effort by the team and they are extremely strong and focused.”
Turlock has outscored its six opponents, 57-4.
Nick Hackler, John Arellano along with head coach Courtney Keyler have the team motivated and playing very strong said Keyler.
“We have a great team and great parents, all 13 families and lots of support from the community and Little League and we will bring our team and be ready to go and have our game plan and preparation, going to give it a real nice effort out there,” Keyler said.
Opening ceremonies for State are slated to take place on Friday, with the home-run derby kicking things off from Twin Oaks Park. The first game is slated for 10 a.m. Saturday.
