YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) – Fresh off their June 26 win over Olivehurst to clinch the California District 2 Junior Baseball All-Star Championship, the Westside team featuring players from Arbuckle, Maxwell and Williams came up short in the Shasta Section Tournament, which ran from July 5-9 at Yuba City High School.
Coached by Jason Bowen, Jim Campbell and Mike Murphy, the 14-U team that includes Ruben Alcaraz, Yamil Alcaraz, Rhett Bowen, Cade Campbell, Noah Grajeda, Louis Minutti, Thomas Murphy, Bronc Otterson, Fabian Paiz, Riley Pearson, Ben Sweet, Bauer Torrens and Quinn VanLaningham has been a winning combination since 2022 when they won the District 2 title as nine-, 10- and 11-year-olds.
In the victory over Olivehurst, Yamil Alcaraz, Campbell, Torrens and Otterson collected one hit apiece as Westside capitalized on 13 free passes.
Yet, the competition picked up a notch in the five-team section tournament, where in their opening game, Westside edged Chico’s Eastside All-Stars 9-8 on July 5 to set up its first matchup against McKinleyville, the team that proved to be their nemesis.
Playing in near 100-degree heat on July 7, Westside could not hold off McKinleyville, eventually succumbing by the score of 4-6.
Otterson went 2 for 3 with an RBI, while Pearson, Bowen and Campbell each had one hit.
Bouncing back the following evening, Westside downed Quincy 6-4, this time taking advantage of their opponent’s miscues in the field.
Otterson doubled and drove in three runs, while Yamil Alcaraz, Campbell and Murphy accounted for the only other Westside hits in the game.
Paiz, Ruben Alcaraz and Bowen combined for the win on the mound.
With the victory over Quincy, Westside advanced to the section championship game against McKinleyville, the only unbeaten team in the tournament.
However, playing for the third straight night, Westside saw the wheels come off in the sixth inning when McKinleyville erupted for seven runs and put the game out of reach.
Yamil Alcaraz, Minutti, Paiz and Ruben Alcaraz all recorded hits in the loss that eliminated Westside from reaching the state tournament that began on July 12 in San Jose.