Charles Rich
With an eight-game winning streak snapped, Phil Torres wasn't about
to snap.
Torres remained calm after his North San Gabriel Valley All-Star
baseball team fell, 10-3, to Worcester, Mass., in the final National
Division pool-play game of the 36th annual Babe Ruth World Series at
Babe Ruth National Complex at Don Edwards Park in Newark, Ohio, on
Wednesday.
All wasn't lost for North San Gabriel Valley (11-2). North San Gabriel Valley earned the division's top seed in the tournament's
championship bracket in the 16- to 19-year-old division.
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BOX SCORE
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NSGV 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 -- 3 8 3
Worcester 2 0 2 0 0 6 x -- 10 11 1
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Local highlights: Flintridge Prep catcher Scott Hofer had two hits to lead North San Gabriel Valley, which is coached by Phil Torres. Nick Reid of CV reached base safely twice for North San Gabriel Valley.
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North San Gabriel Valley, which will have a first-round bye in the
six-team championship bracket, will meet the National Division's
third-place team or the American Division's second-place entry at
2:30 p.m. PDT on Friday. The championship contest will be held at 10
a.m. PDT on Saturday.
North San Gabriel Valley last lost to San Gabriel Valley, 3-2, in
the championship game of the Southern California State Tournament at
Arcadia High on July 24. Torres' team rebounded with a 9-1 win in the
if-necessary championship contest July 25 before going on to capture
the Pacific Southwest Regional Tournament in Watsonville on Aug. 4.
Now, Torres and North San Gabriel Valley will look to start a new
winning streak in the single-elimination portion of the tournament.
North San Gabriel Valley won the tournament in 1973, 1976, 1977 and
1979.
"I think we are where we need to be," Torres said. "We've scouted
all of the [tournament] games, and we'll pick up the other team's
tendencies.
"We also have a chance to rest and line up our pitching staff."
North San Gabriel Valley cut Worcester's lead to 4-2 in the top of
the fifth inning, but couldn't draw closer.
Worcester, the New England regional champion, scored six runs in
the sixth with two outs.
Flintridge Prep senior catcher Scott Hofer had two hits for North
San Gabriel Valley, which features eight local players. Teammate Nick
Reid, a left fielder from Crescenta Valley High, reached base twice.
North San Gabriel Valley had eight hits.
North San Gabriel Valley starting pitcher Johnny Soberal (1-1)
took the loss. The right-hander from Azusa Pacific University didn't
record a strikeout.
