The Goleta Valley South Little League Major Division All-Stars defeated rival Dos Pueblos LL, 4-2, to complete an undefeated run en route to the District 63 Championship at the GVSLL Complex.
GVSLL advances to the Section 1 Tournament, which they will also host starting this weekend. The local squad opens Sunday against the winner of Saturday’s Orcutt vs. Conejo Valley opener.
In the district title game, relief pitcher Brooks Caldwell came through in a tense situation as he struck out the final batter to end the game with a runner on base. Caldwell relieved starter Benn Hause, who rose to the occasion, striking out five consecutive batters across the second and third innings.
His teammates broke a scoreless battle in the top of the fifth. Walker Torres singled and was driven home on a single by Liam Anderson. Quincy Niksto made it 2-0 with RBI single.
Dos Pueblos made it a 2-1 game in the bottom of the fifth, but GVSLL responded with two more runs in the sixth. Nathan Diaz doubled and Brooks Caldwell followed with a RBI single for a 3-1 lead; a fielder’s choice from Ethan Sierra and DPLL error allowed Caldwell to score for a 4-1 advantage.
DPLL threatened in the bottom of the inning. They capitalized on an error to score a run, put a runner on base and brought the tying run to the plate with two outs. But Caldwell ended the drama with a strikeout.
In their run to the final, GVSLL posted three shutouts: 10-0 over Santa Paula, 11-0 over Foothill and 6-0 against DPLL.
The GVSLL 12U All-Star Team includes: Liam Anderson, Brooks Caldwell, Dylan Corlett, Nathan Diaz, Calvin Firestone, Benn Hause, Jase Hooper, Brandon Muñoz, Quincy Niksto, Ethan Sierra, Walker Torres and Cade Venegas. The team is managed by Bryan Corlett, with assistant coaches Daniel Hooper and Raymond Torres.
