Encinitas All Stars make run at SoCal tourney

ENCINITAS LITTLE LEAGUE’S Majors (age 12) All Stars won the District 31 and Section 6 championships to qualify for this week’s Southern California Championship in Corona. The players are Tanner Hellman, Nicholas DiPiero, Nikolaj King, Max Gosling, Maddux Brockhoff, Madden Reinke, Luke Moffett, Devin Plutner, Curren Haberfield, Christian Koch, Brooks Butler, Bohdan Syder and Blake Larson. Below, the team rallies at the Cardiff Kook. Courtesy photos

Encinitas Little League enjoys all-star summer

By Jacqueline Covey

ENCINITAS — The Encinitas Little League AllStar baseball team cruised to another victory on Tuesday night, defeating La Mirada 17-4 in Game 3 of the Little League Southern California Baseball Championship at Harada Heritage Park in Corona.

After losing its opening game of the tournament to Del Rey American, the local Majors squad has defeated its last two opponents by double-digit scores in subsequent elimination games and was one of six teams remaining in the tournament heading into Thursday’s action.

As a team, Encinitas had 24 hits and no errors to help seal Tuesday’s blowout victory.

The win came just 24 hours after Encinitas defeated Vineyard 11-0 to claim its second game of the tournament.

Since July 3, the All Stars have outscored their opponents, 135-22.

In total, the Encinitas squad must win five games in a row to earn a trip to the Western Regionals in August, where teams compete to advance to the Little League World Series.

Earlier this month, Encinitas Little League claimed both the District 31 and Section 6 championship titles, advancing to the Southern California Tournament.

Coach Ted Haberfield said the group of 12-year olds is staying humble, but they are excited to keep playing and compete for a World Series spot.

The team celebrated the recent wins, but have a “let’s get further than last year mentality,” Haberfield said.

Haberfield said the team is focused on working hard and having fun, a balance the coach hopes to strike in his “labor of love” — coaching.

In the dugout, Haberfield takes the time in between plays to talk and work with his team.

“Baseball gives you downtime,” Haberfield said. “So you can talk [the team] through things… and allow them to mature into young men.”

The Encinitas Little League was established in 1957 and is one of the oldest Little League organizations in the country.

“Encinitas Little League is very rich in tradition,” Haberfield said. “There have been a lot of great, successful teams over the years.”

The Majors team has won 13 district championships and five section titles since 1960. In 2014, the Encinitas All-Star team won the Southern California Baseball Championship and finished third at the West Region tournament in the Majors division, narrowly missing a chance to play in the World Series.

Haberfield said that one central thread binding the team is their faith.

“With this team, we credit [our drive] to God,” Haberfield said. “Faith is a big part of our success.”

The updated tournament bracket can be found at ellbaseball.org.

ENCINITAS LITTLE League All Stars team won its last two games (as of Thursday morning) by a combined total of 24 runs at the Southern California Championship. Photo via Facebook

INSIDE INFO

CONTINUED FROM 9 with the “A” Team … bartenders Ryan O, The Cincinnati Kid, Anna, Nora, Amy, Rachel, Alexa at this classic sports bar. They never stopped until closing.

Sunday — 2 p.m. Another 11 races to complete the three-day weekend. The third day in a row where we saw 30-to-1 long shots win races and pay handsomely. 6 p.m. — Boxing champ Canelo Alvarez, who lives in Rancho Santa Fe, makes an appearance at Del Mar under a ton of security and close guarding. He might have even stopped at the betting window as the weekend comes to a close.

Final grades:

Bartenders, servers, ushers, security: AAA+

Racing: A+

People: A

Safety: A+

Community support:

A+

Betting: A+ All the rest were B’s

See you on the radio, Saturdays 9 a.m. over The Mightier 1090 ESPN Radio.

SAN MARCOS

CONTINUED FROM 9 and laughing despite the summer heat as they did their pre-practice drills, with the sounds of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” blasting from a speaker bringing even more energy.

Lyndsey Rogers, 14, said the team’s synergy on and off the field is what makes them successful.

“Our group has great chemistry together, and we communicate really well. When we’re on the field we’re always talking to each other,” Rogers said.

Describing the upcoming nationals qualifier tournament, Delanie McKee, 13, said it’s special that she gets to go with her friends and teammates.

“I’m excited, because we’ve been playing together a long time,” she said.

Western Nationals is also on the horizon for some of the younger members of San Marcos Girls Softball league.

The 10U All Star Team, composed of players ages

8-11 including a handful of younger sisters of 14U players, will head to Salem, Ore. for their division’s Western Nationals on July 25 after their own successful season.

Assistant Coach Heather Bucaroff said the young players have made a huge effort this season, which earned them a spot at nationals.

“It’s amazing, just to see the talent that these girls have, what they go through with 100 degree weather, battling these teams back from being down,” Bucaroff

said. “They play well together, they get along together, they pick each other up. When one person gets a hit, then another gets a hit — they really play off each other’s energy.”

Both the 10U and 14U teams are currently fundraising through GoFundMe to help cover the costs of travel, food and hotel rooms during their respective tournaments.

In the weeks before the tournament, 10U players and parents could be seen fundraising with lemonade stands and flower sales all over the city, hoping to raise $10,000.

Mia Egoian, 9, joined her teammates in selling sunflowers outside of the Albertsons on Woodland Parkway on Wednesday, looking ahead nervously to her team’s tournament in Salem.

“I’m really excited, and I’m kind of scared. I know that there’s gonna be really good teams there,” Egoian said.

However, it comforts her to know her team will be by her side.

“A lot of my closest friends are on my softball team. We play well, we communicate really well together on the field and stuff like that,” she said.

Most of these girls, it’s their first time going to nationals. We’ve got as good a shot as any to win this thing.”

Head coach Raul Arce San Marcos Girls Softball 14U Team