Sports
San Ramon 11s Fall Short of Nor Cal Championship
The SRLL all star team competed for the state championship for the second year in a row.
Headed into the Northern California Divisional Tournament, the 11-year-old San Ramon all stars were hoping to achieve a state championship for the second consecutive year.
San Ramon had sailed through both the district and sectional tournaments undefeated to make it to the Northern California competition, scoring a combined 66 runs while allowing only 16.
After three hard-fought wins, the San Ramon all stars found themselves on the brink of becoming repeat NorCal champions last Friday night.
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A match against Petaluma Little League, a team they had beat 12-2 just two days earlier, was the only thing standing in the way.
But San Ramon’s hopes vanished after a 12-10 loss on Friday and a 9-3 loss on Saturday that gave Petaluma the NorCal crown.
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Despite the disappointment, San Ramon coach Jeff Santos said the team was proud of what it had accomplished.
“We had a tremendous run and we had no bad feelings after it was over,” he said. “The boys fought hard and didn’t give up. Even though we were down both games, these boys’ intensity level never skipped a beat.”
The determination of the players was especially apparent in Friday night’s game.
After five innings, San Ramon was down 12-2. But in the sixth, the team’s offense fought back with an eight-run rally. Though it was not enough to get the win, it was enough to make a statement.
Santos attributed the losses to Petaluma simply out-batting San Ramon, no easy feat considering how well San Ramon had been swinging the bats up until that point.
When San Ramon defeated Petaluma by 10 runs two days before the finals, Santos said it was because San Ramon’s aggressive base running caught Petaluma off-guard. But in the two championship matches, Petaluma made adjustments and was on top of its hitting game.
San Ramon’s wins in the state tournament prior to the Petaluma games were against Quito Little League on July 23 and Tri City Little League on July 24.
Quito had taken a 4-0 lead in the first inning, but San Ramon again exemplified its resilience by putting up five runs in the third inning and holding on for the win.
The next match against Tri City was predicted to be a close finish and it certainly was. But excellent pitching from starter Nick Sherman and a two-run homer by Sam York carried San Ramon along the way to a 3-1 victory.
Looking back on the 2011 all star season—which includes a District 57 Championship, a Section 3 Championship, and second-place finish in Northern California—Santos said he’s appreciative of his players’ dedication.
“It’s very emotional for me just because of how hard they work, and how much I expect from them, and how much they’ve given,” Santos said.
Most of the players have been together for two years now, adding a component of chemistry that factors into the team’s success, and Santos anticipates most will return next year for another shot at a state title.
