Little League All Stars: Albany 12s Sneak by Walnut Creek 12s to Advance

The Star: Leo Pollack might have entered as a reliever, but he pitched like a starter. Pollack threw four strong innings of relief en route to earning the win. He struck out six and didn't allow a run.

The Turning Point: Albany was holding onto a one-run lead in the fifth when Robbie Davison hit a one-out double for Walnut Creek. Pollack then forced Max Kulsuptrakul to pop out to first and struck out Clayton Barker to end the inning and rally.

The Quote: "This was a tight game that could have gone either way," Albany coach Frank Knowles said. "I kind of have a sigh of relief after that one."

What's next? Albany will continue through the winners' bracket as it meets Pinole Hercules Wednesday in Lafayette. Walnut Creek will move down to the losers' bracket where it will match up with the loser of tomorrow's game between Antioch and Alameda in Walnut Creek.

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Albany won its last game 11-0. This win was a little tighter.

It squeaked past Walnut Creek with a 5-3 win in the second round of the District 4 Tournament on July 5.

Albany relied on the left arm of Leo Pollack to carry the team to victory. The southpaw threw four strong innings of relief, striking out six and did not give up a run.

"The pitching was outstanding," Knowles said. "Leo did extremely well. He really stepped up today."

Albany struck first in the top of the first when leadoff hitter Liam Knowles reached on an error and scored on a Jordan Williams RBI single.

Walnut Creek countered with two runs of its own in the bottom of the first. Brian Wright and Jack Logan both scored on an Albany error to take the early lead.

Albany regained the lead in the top of the second behind an Andrew Whittmore double and Liam Knowles sacrifice fly.

Walnut Creek tied the score on a Seth Bloom RBI single. After three innings, the game was tied at three.

Albany took the lead for good when Billy Treseler scored on a Liam Knowles RBI single. Albany added an insurance run in the sixth on a Williams RBI single.

"We played well enough to win today," Frank Knowles said. "We played some tight defense and had some timely hitting."

Knowles is glad to see the team play and win close games as it keeps the team from getting too confident.

"It's good to play in these close games as it reminds the team that they're not invincible," he said. "Games like these remind the team that they have to play hard all the time if they want to win."

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Albany 5, Walnut Creek 3

Albany 120 101 — 5 10 1  

Walnut Creek 210 000 — 3 9 2 

Albany — Knowles 2-3-2, Tonkeyn 0-4-0, Williams 3-4-0, Bass 0-3-0, Layton 0-2-0, Katz-Balmes 0-1-0, James 0-1-0, Pollack 2-2-0, Camps 1-2-1, Treseler 0-1-1, Greco 0-1-0, Warren 0-1-0, Whittemore 1-2-1, Holmes 1-1-0 

Walnut Creek — Blome 3-4-0, Wright 1-4-1, Dorflinger 0-4-0, Logan 1-3-1, Davison 2-3-0, Kulsuptrakul 0-2-0, Katzepf 0-1-0, Barker 1-2-0, McDonald 0-1-0, Watchmaker 1-2-1, Cochrane 0-1-0, Cesario 0-1-0, Kane 0-2-0

Pitching

Albany — James 2 IP, 3 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 4 K, 1 BB; Pollack 4 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 6 H, 6 K, 1 BB

Walnut Creek — Davison 4 1/3 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 7 H, 5 K, 1 BB, 1 HP; Logan 1 1/3 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 H, 0 K, 0 BB; Wright 1/3 IP, o R, o ER, 1 H, 0 K, 0 BB

Hitting

2B — Knowles (Albany), Davison (Walnut Creek)