Sports
Little League Junior All-Stars: Dixon Avoids Elimination With 7-6 Nailbiter Over Davis National
Mark Eldridge's deep blast to the warning track in left-center field with two outs in the seventh keeps Dixon alive.
If Tuesday’s District 64 Junior All-Stars elimination game for Dixon would have been a movie, then Mark “Hollywood” Eldridge’s performance was Oscar-worthy.
Trailing 5-4 and down to their final out in the bottom of the seventh, Eldridge’s deep blast to the warning track in left-center field drove in Carson Leber and Joe Quintanilla, giving Dixon a 6-5 walk-off victory Monday night at Vacaville’s John Arlington Park.
After taking a first pitch breaking ball, Eldridge took the next – the fastball he wanted – and crushed it.
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“I was just looking for my pitch,” Eldridge said. “I just kept my head on my pitch and waited for it.”
Leber and Quintanilla reached base to start the inning on a pair of errors and advanced into scoring position with nobody out. Brett Bello then flew out to shallow right field and Matt Williams struck out, leaving Eldridge as Dixon’s final shot.
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“I knew when Carson and Joe got on base with no outs that we had a good chance to pull it off,” Dixon manager Eric Foster said. “I got a little nervous with two outs, and 'Hollywood' Eldridge came through big with that bomb.”
Dixon had trailed since the top of the second inning, but pulled ahead when it mattered.
"It was intense,” Foster said. “You saw the kids celebrating after the game. That’s when you know they wanted it…In the end, we came through. They didn’t stop fighting.”
After Davis grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, Dixon tacked on a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning. Quintanilla scored on a Matt Williams ground ball and Williams scored on an Eldridge single to put Dixon in front 2-1.
Davis however rocked Dixon starter Brett Bello for four runs off four hits in the top of the second, and took a commanding 5-2 lead.
Bello would be relieved by Quintanilla in the third, who gave up just three hits and struck out nine over four innings in relief. He stranded seven Davis runners on base, six of which were in scoring position.
Dixon closed it to a one-run deficit in the fifth inning. Bailey Foster was hit by a pitch to start the inning, and Leber followed him with a double down the left field line. Quintanilla then scored Williams – who pinch ran for Foster – with a bloop single to right field, and Bello drove in Leber with a sacrifice fly to left to make it 5-4.
Dixon will play the loser of Monday’s Davis American/Vacaville National matchup Tuesday at Vacaville’s John Arlington Park at 5:30 p.m. The winner of that game will advance to the championship round on Wednesday, but must win twice once there to take the District 64 title.