The hurt will last only a little
while, but for the Madera
Babe Ruth 13-year-old All-
Stars, the memories and pride
in what they accomplished in
this magical summer will be
the fuel to drive them further
next season.
While they were eliminated
from the Pacific Southwest
Regional Tournament Sunday
in Eureka in a 15-8 loss to La
Cresenta, they have etched
their names into the record
books having gone further
than any others in the 57-year
history of Madera Babe Ruth.
“There were no heads hanging,”
said head coach Andy
Gutierrez. “I told them to hold
their heads high because they
accomplished more than any
team ever in this history of
Madera Babe Ruth.
“There are hundreds of
teams that would want to be in
our position and to finish
fourth in the Western Region
of the entire country is a testament
to the kind of players
and kids they are.”
They went 4-1 to win the
California District II championship,
then 5-1 with a 15-inning
thriller to capture the
Central California State title
and pick up two wins at the
Regionals including victories
over theArizona state champs
and the Northern California
champs from host Eureka.
And having gone through
the experience will most assuredly
give them all the ammunition
they need next season
when they can again make
a run as 14-year-olds.
“Let me tell you, some of
these kids are not only going
to be great high school players,
but have the chance to
even go on to the next level,”
Gutierrez said. “Scott Roberts,
Isaac Garcia, Donovan
Bertoncini, Joseph Mendrin
all have big futures ahead of
them.”
So while the players and
coaches pack up their bags,
equipment and momentos and
head back home, they also will
bring with them the experience
of a lifetime and the confidence
of knowing that they
are among the best teams in
California and theWest Coast.
“This was such a special experience
for me and the coaches,”
Gutierrez said. “There’s
no sadness although of course
I wish we could have gone
further. But I got a chance to
really get to know these young
men and get closer to them
and for that I will be forever
grateful.”
And with that, these players
will almost certainly lead to a
resurgence inMadera baseball
at the high school level when
they join their respective Coyote
and Stallion programs.
After opening the tournament
Thursday with a 7-3 win
overArizona,Madera dropped
a narrow 3-2 decision the next
day to Alameda. Then a 5-4
win over host Eureka Saturday
with Scott Roberts picking up
his 18th win of the season
without a loss kept their hopes
alive in the double-elimination
tournament.
But Sunday, Madera finally
ran out of pitching and despite
taking a 7-6 lead in the bottom
of the seventh, they
were victims of nine runs on
five hits combined with two
errors and four walks as La
Cresenta scored nine runs to
take a commanding 15-7
lead.
Madera used three pitchers
and took a 2-1 lead in the
bottom of the fourth asAdriano
Coronado and starting
pitcher Sal Martinez had
RBI singles.
La Cresenta then scored
five runs in the top of the fifth
before Madera countered
with four in the bottom half
of the inning. Roberts had a
leadoff double, Bertoncini
walked and both scored on a
two-run double by Coronado,
who then scored himself on
an error to pullMadera within
a run at 6-5.
Isaac Garcia had a leadoff
double in the bottom of the
sixth and scored on a single
by Mendrin. Following a
pair of walks, Coronado
picked up his third RBI of
the game to give Madera a
7-6 lead.
Then the wheels fell off
the wagon in the top of the
seventh as La Cresenta
scored nine runs on five hits
and two Madera errors to
put the game out of reach
despite Mendrin collecting
another RBI in the bottom
of the seventh to make the
final score 15-8.
