Aliso Viejo LL Faces Toughest Challenge Yet

Nobody said it would be easy, and this weekend the task of reaching its first Little League World Series gets tougher for Aliso Viejo Little League.

The five-team Little League All-Star Tournament for Sub-Division III (11-12 year olds) gets underway Saturday morning with two games at Woodfield Park, home field for Aliso Viejo and this year's host for the state double-elimination tournament.

"All teams will be tough. They are five of the top 10 Southern California 12-year-old Little League teams," said AVLL President Susan Booth. "It will be interesting, for sure!"

At 11 a.m. on Field 6, Section 6 Champions Encinitas from North San Diego County will play Section 8 Champions Highland. Encinitas is 8-0 and is the three-time defending District 31/Section 6 Champions. Highland is the San Bernardino County District 42 Champions.

At 11:30 a.m. on Field 4, Section 7/District 42 Champions Park View from Imperial Valley will face Section 9/District 72 Champions Corona National from Corona. Park View reached the tournament with a dramatic two-out, walk-off 3-run home run for a 12-11 victory in the Section 7 title game, while Corona routed Canyon Lake 16-3 to capture the Section 9 Championship.

On Sunday, Aliso Viejo, the District 55 and Section 10 Champions, will play the winner of the Encinitas/Highland game at 11:30 a.m. on Field 4, while the two losing teams from Saturday's games will play at 11:00 a.m. on Field 6.

The Sub-Division III championship game will be played Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. on Field 4. If a second championship game is needed, it would be played Thursday at the same time and location.

The champion will advance to the West Regional in San Bernardino, the final step before the Little League World Series in Williamsburg, Pa.

For a complete listing of games and results, go to www.avll.org and click on the All-Star brackets.