Little League All Stars: San Ramon 12s Stay Dominant, Move to Section 3 Championship

San Ramon 14, Tracy American 4

The Star: Matt Ramirez backed up his on Sunday with a two-homer, 6-RBI game on Monday as  the San Ramon Little League 12-year-old All Star team moved to the Section 3 Tournament championship.

The Turning Point: After San Ramon took a 12-1 lead in the first inning, there was a  feeling the game could turn into a high-scoring affair. Enter Justin Catson. The righty induced three ground ball outs to propel San Ramon toward its second-straight 10-run-rule victory.

The Quote: "Everyone is coming up big in one way or another," San Ramon manager Dave Jew said. "I'm really proud of (pitchers Justin Catson and Nick Gilfillan)."

What's next? San Ramon will play the winner of Tuesday's game between Hillsbrough and Tracy American on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., at Gomes Elementary School in Fremont.

Bottom Line: With a five-team bracket, San Ramon had the unfortunate draw of having to play into the winners' bracket, but so far it hasn't mattered. With its win on Monday, San Ramon has a day off and can lock up the Section 3 title with a win on Wednesday. The team needs to be beaten twice to be eliminated. The Section tournament is follow by the Divisional tournament, which precedes the Western Regional in San Bernardino.

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For San Ramon Little League 12-year-old All Star manager Dave Jew, expectations are starting to rise.

It's not because they weren't high to begin with — they were — but because his team continues to raise the bar.

Playing against a Tracy American team which won its previous game 11-0 and was starting a kid on the mound whose fastball created a pre-game buzz, Jew expected a tough game.

Three and a half innings later, the San Ramon All Stars were celebrating a 14-3 win —their second-straight 10-run-rule victory at the Section 3 Tournament — and had secured a spot in the championship game. 

"Would you expect this?" Jew said. "It was pretty impressive."

After Tracy took a 1-0 lead in the first, San Ramon wasted no time jumping all over Tracy's highly-touted righty.

Tommy Jew led off with a homer, Jake Ackerman followed with another bomb two batters later and after Devin Rocha and Matt Ramirez walked, Rocky Moore hit a three-run shot which prompted a pitching change.

The move didn't help.

Jack Gerlach and Nick Gilfillan both singled before Justin Catson reached on an error. Jew, Michael Pangelinan and Ackerman all followed with walks to give red-hot Matt Ramirez an at-bat with the bases loaded against another new arm from the Tracy bullpen.

Ramirez delivered his third homer in two games, the grand slam giving San Ramon a 12-1 first-inning lead.

"He's been good all season," Tommy Jew said. "He's just been clutch."

After Tracy got three runs back in the third, Ramirez's second homer of the game put San Ramon back up by 10 and Gillfilan threw a scoreless fourth to end the game.

San Ramon will await the winner of Tuesday's game between Hillbrough, which San Ramon beat in the Section opener, and Tracy American. The Section 3 championship will be at 5:30 p.m., on Wednesday at Gomes Elementary School in Fremont. San Ramon can lock up the title with a win, but would have to lose twice to be eliminated.

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San Ramon 14, Tracy American 4

Tracy American 103 0 — 4 5 1
San Ramon (12)02 x — 14 9 0

Visitor (ab-r-h) — Ramirez 2-1-0, Alvarado 3-2-2, Medina 3-1-2, 1-0-0, Russell 2-0-0, Case 2-0-0, Schlotter 1-0-1, Rebar 1-0-0, Ramon 2-0-0. 

Home (ab-r-h) — Jew 2-2-1, Pangelinan 2-1-1, Ackerman 2-2-1, Rocha 2-1-1, Ramirez 2-3-2, Moore 3-1-1, Gerlach 1-1-1, Holden 1-0-0, Gilfillan 1-1-1-, Bagnall 1-0-0, Catson 3-1-1.

Pitching

San Ramon: Catson 3 IP, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 3 K; Gilfillan 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K.

Hitting
2B — Catson, Pangelinan. HR — Ramirez 2, Ackerman, Jew, Moore

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10-year-olds: San Ramon beat Salida and will play Wednesday for the Section 3 title at 5:30.

Juniors: The losers' bracket game was suspened due to darkness with the score 8-8 after 7 innings. It will resume Tuesday at 5:30 at Gomes Elementary school.