Mill Valley Reaches Final Three at Junior Sectionals

The  Junior Division All-Stars split their first two games at the Section 1 Tournament in Benicia, which was good enough to keep the club alive while also putting it in a must-win situation the rest of the week.

The five-team tournament of district winners started out well for Mill Valley, which parlayed multiple strategic moves – including using four pitchers and four pinch-runners – into a 2-1 win Saturday over South Oakland.

“Now that was one heck of a ballgame,” Mill Valley manager Ken Praszker told his team’s parents afterward. “Thanks you so much for making an old coach proud.”

Mill Valley broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the sixth inning on a run-scoring single by Brett Bowyer that scored Jake Ferm, who had led off the rally with a single and then stole second.

Jack Elias came on with one out in the seventh to save the win, but it was Mason Collins’ escape act in the previous inning that truly saved the day. He inherited a bases-loaded, no-out situation in a tie game and got out unscathed as Mill Valley got two force outs at the plate following bunts and then an inning-ending flyout.

“Funny thing,” Praszker noted. “(Friday) we worked on defending the squeeze bunt and on bunting, and darn if both of these things didn’t play an important role in the victory.”

Patrick Shore’s double helped produce Mill Valley’s first run. Ferm pinch-ran for him at second and came around on a balk and a passed ball.

Team ace Gabe Bouchard shut out Oakland for four-plus innings, but left in the fifth because of a high pitch count. Oakland tied the game later that inning, setting up Mill Valley’s late heroics.

“That was as fine a team effort, showing skill, spirit and heart, as any coaching staff could ever ask for,” Praszker assured afterward.

Unfortunately, Monday’s winners-bracket finals against Petaluma didn’t work out as well despite the fact Bouchard singled in pinch-runner Josh Khoo-Miller in the first inning to give Mill Valley an early lead.

After that, it was all Petaluma in a 5-1 win despite some nifty defense by Elias, Michael Praszker and Bouchard.

“Although we were out-hit, we each had the same number of runners reach base,” Praszker lamented afterward. “We hit some long flies, but they were all caught.

“If we are who we think we are, we will use (the) loss as a reminder of what needs to be done (Tuesday). We are down, but certainly not out.”

Mill Valley needs a win in Tuesday’s losers-bracket finals in order not only to stay alive but also to earn a rematch with Petaluma in the finals, having to beat it twice in order to claim the championship. Bouchard would pitch the first Petaluma game Wednesday if Mill Valley were to get there.