Edgar Melik-Stepanyan
BABE HERMAN FIELD -- The Verdugo 11- and-12-year-old major baseball
all-star team looked like it could belong in the major league home run
derby with the way it was swinging the bats Thursday.
Gilbert Camacho's squad smashed three home runs in its second-chance
bracket contest at Babe Herman Field to defeat Vaquero, 7-3, in a Little
League District 16 All-Star tournament game.
"I told my team before the game to start swinging at pitches. They did
and I feel really good for the kids," said Verdugo Coach Gilbert Camacho.
Verdugo will play Jewish War Veterans at 5 p.m today at Montrose Park
in a second-chance bracket game.
Abraham Lopez, Alex Pantoja and Jeremy Camacho each hit two-run home
runs for Verdugo. The home runs combined for six of its seven runs.
Lopez and Pantoja each hit their shots in the first inning. After
Edgar Reyes started the inning with a single, Lopez, Verdugo's catcher,
hit it over the right-field fence.
Camacho then singled and Pantoja's blast caused Vaquero starting
pitcher Mychal Barajas to be replaced after only 1/3 of an inning.
Camacho came to bat in the third with Lopez on third base. The
12-year-old shortstop hit a home run to left field that landed in the
wash.
"Our pitchers put the ball right in the bucket and they hit it. It is
the end of the road for us," said Vaquero Coach Paco Montano, whose team
was eliminated.
Verdugo starting pitcher Pantoja pitched a complete game for the
victory, but struggled at first. He gave up two runs in the top of the
first, but neither was earned. He finished a strong performance by
striking out eight, walking three, and giving up only five hits.
BOX SCORE
*--*
Vaquero 200 010 -- 3 5 3
Verdugo 402 10x -- 7 9 2
ET
*--*
*--*
Vaquero IP R ER H BB K
Barajas .1 4 3 4 0 0
Auceda 4.2 3 1 5 0 6
TOTAL 5 7 4 9 0 6
Verdugo IP R ER H BB K
Pantoja 6 3 1 5 3 8
ET
*--*
WP - Pantoja (1-0)
LP - Barajas (0-1)
2B: Ver- Lopez, Brusokas, Reyes
HR: Ver- Lopez, Pantoja, Camacho
