Sports

Little League All Stars: Ackerman's Walk-Off Homer in 10th Keeps Season Alive for San Ramon 12s

Jake Ackerman threw 4 2/3 innings of scoreless, no-hit relief while striking out 11.

San Ramon 7, River Park 6

The Star: Jake Ackerman hit a walk-off homer (check out the video) in the bottom of the 10th and threw four and 2/3 innings of no-hit, scoreless relief while striking out 11 to lead San Ramon past River Park.

The Turning Point: River Park scored four runs in the sixth to extend the game to extras, but before the clock struck midnight, Ackerman ended it with his walk-off bomb.

The Quote: "I'll remember that (home run) for 50 years," Ackerman said. "I'll remember it forever."

Find out what's happening in San Ramonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

What's next? San Ramon plays Tri-City in a losers' bracket game Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at Vacaville Central Little League. Can't make it? Get live updates from Patch on Twitter during the game. If you are twitter-savvy follow @PatchSportsEB, if not, go to www.twitter.com/patchsportseb during the game. 

Bottom Line: In a game that started 45 minutes late -- at 8:45 p.m. — and lasted three hours, San Ramon came out on top. It has to win four games in four days starting Tuesday to advance out of the Division II Tournament and to the West Regionals in San Bernardino.

Find out what's happening in San Ramonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 

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Jake Ackerman isn't used to being awake at 11:45 p.m.

"Oh goodness, I'm normally asleep around 10," the 12-year-old said.

So when he came up to bat just before midnight with the San Ramon Little League 12-year-old All Stars tied 6-6 with River Park in the bottom of the 10th inning at Monday's Northern California Division II Tournament it wasn't a shock he was showing signs of fatigue.

He was ready for bed.

What followed was a moment that will stay with Ackerman through the rest of his baseball-playing days. An opposite-field, walk-off home run to keep San Ramon alive in the International Tournament with a 7-6 win.

"I'll remember that (home run) for 50 years," Ackerman said. "I'll remember it forever."

He said he went up the plate in a bit of slump and was only trying to make contact. 

Mission accomplished — and then some.

The win propels San Ramon one step further in the losers' bracket and sets up a meeting with Tri-City Tuesday at 5:30  p.m. at Vacaville Central Little League. Follow live updates of the game on the Patch Sports East Bay Twitter feed.

San Ramon needs to win four more games to win the Northern California title and advance to the Western Regionals in San Bernardino, a tournament that precedes the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Penn. 

Before Ackerman's heroics in the 10th, he threw four and two-thirds inning of scoreless, no-hit relief to keep San Ramon in the game. 

San Ramon led 6-2 headed to the sixth, but River Park rallied to send the game to extra innings. 

Manager Dave Jew said Ackerman was slated to start Tuesday's game before the team needed him to get through Monday's contest.

"We're trying to win five games, not one," he said. "Now we're going to have to find some magic."

Jew was unsure of who would start Tuesday's after Monday's marathon, but knows he'll go into the game without the services of Ackerman,  ace Devin Rocha, who was brilliant in three and two-thirds Monday, and Tommy Jew.

Tommy Jew was ejected from the game after tossing his helmet onto his bat-bag in the sixth inning and will have to sit out Tuesday's game. A bizarre decision by an umpire who also took a San Ramon run off the board in the first inning.

San Ramon had already scored three runs in the first when Rocha reached second base. The River Park pitcher stepped off the mound, took two steps toward third base and threw the ball to the third baseman like he was playing catch. The ball skipped down the line and Rocha came around from second to score.

After much deliberation, Rocha was taken out of the dugout and returned to third base.

The umpire told manager Dave Jew that because the pitcher was on the mound, Rocha only got one base.

It was the first of several bizarre decisions in a game originally slated for 8 p.m., but started 45 minutes late. 

Tommy Jew  lined a homer to center in the fourth before Michael Pangelinan tripled and scored on a single by Matt Ramirez to put San Ramon up 6-2. 

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San Ramon 7, River Park 6

River Park 000 204 000 0 — 6 6 2
San Ramon 310 200 000 1 — 7 7 2


San Ramon (ab-r-h) — Jew 3-3-1, Bagnall 3-0-0, Pangelinan 4-2-1, Ramirez 5-1-2, Rocha 5-0-2, Ackerman 5-1-1, Moore 3-0-0, Gerlach 4-0-0, Gillfilan 1-0-0. Holden 2-0-0, Catson 1-0-0. 

Pitching

San Ramon: Rocha 3.2 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 7 K; Catson 1.1 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 0 K; Mendoza 0.2 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 H, 2 BB, 1 K; Ackerman 4.2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 3 BB, 11 K.

Hitting
3B — Pangelinan. HR — Jew, Ackerman.

 

 


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