Edgar Melik-Stepanyan
From El Segundo's breakout sixth inning to La Crescenta outfielder
Andrew Sember's gutsy home run and to Mike Quinones' dramatic
late-inning homer, Tuesday's championship game of the Pacific
Southwest Regional had all the makings of a classic.
Add in Micah Dunham's valiant pitching performance and all the
intangibles of a baseball contest, and the three-plus hour epic won't
be forgotten anytime soon by the spectators at the packed El Segundo
Recreation Park.
After 340 combined pitches were thrown, the El Segundo Babe Ruth
15-year-old All-Star team emerged with an 11-9, nine-inning victory
against La Crescenta at Stevenson Field to advance to its sixth World
Series in program history.
*--*
BOX SCORE
*--*
*--*
El Segundo 2 0 1 0 0 6 0 0 2 -- 11 11 2
La Crescenta 2 2 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 -- 9 12 1
*--*
*--*
El Segundo IP H R ER BB K
Selsky 3 6 4 4 2 3
Wagner 2 1 0 0 0 3 Estrada 1.1 4 5 5 0 1
Quinones 2.2 1 0 0 1 4 Totals 9 12 9 9 3 11
*--*
*--*
La Crescenta IP H R ER BB K
Klein 5 8 5 4 5 4
Krise 0.1 1 3 3 1 0
Sabo 0 1 1 1 0 0
Dunham 3.2 1 2 2 1 4
Totals 9 11 11 10 7 8 *--*
*--*
WP-- Quinones (2-0).
LP-- Dunham (0-1).
2B: ES-Adlam, Estrada; LC-Stroh 2, Barajas, Costanzo.
HR: ES-Estrada (3), Quinones (1); LC-Johnson (2), Sember (2).
SB: ES-Estrada 2, Dorman.
*--*
"It's one of the best games I've ever been involved in," said La
Crescenta Coach Joe Sember, whose team suffered two losses in the
postseason, both of them to El Segundo, which will start the World
Series on Aug. 20 in Longview, Wash.
The game didn't end until La Crescenta (6-2) supplied a final
twist. But with runners at the corners, Quinones forced Dunham to fly
out to end the contest and La Crescenta's season.
Quinones had supplied the heroics in the top half of the ninth.
His two-run home run to the 340-foot center-field fence was the only
time El Segundo got to Dunham.
El Segundo (5-0) -- which won the World Series in 1964, 1969, 1974 and 2002 -- couldn't figure out Dunham for a while.
Dunham came on in relief in the sixth -- when El Segundo scored
six runs to take a 9-4 lead -- and took over, retiring nine straight
before issuing a walk to Bryce Toth.
But after striking out Curtis Wagner, Dunham threw one of his few
fastballs, and Quinones capitalized on a 2-1 count.
"I was throwing all curves, and I had to throw a fastball to get a
strike," said Dunham, who struck out four, walked one and allowed one
hit in 3 2/3 innings of work. "That guy is awesome.
"I feel disappointed, but I feel we gave them a good run."
