The Carbon Cal Ripken 12-year-old All-Stars suffered a tournament ending 4-0 loss to Hawaii in the semifinals of the Pacific Southwest Regional Tournament Saturday afternoon in Long Beach, Calif.
Advancing to the four team, single elimination tournament as the No. 2 seed from Pool A, Carbon was matched up with the unbeaten Hawaii team. Despite playing excellent defense throughout the contest, Carbon managed just four base runners in the tilt.
The loss dips Carbon’s final record to 3-2 at the tournament, in one of the best runs a team from the area has put together. Wyatt Falk was also recognized for his outstanding play during the six-day competition as a member of the All-Tournament team.
Below is a complete recap of each game leading up to the single elimination tournament:
Monday, July 16: Carbon- 8, Long Beach- 4:
Wyatt Falk pitched five innings, allowing just five hits and striking out seven to earn the win on the mound. Peyton Molinar finished the final two outs of the contest, striking out one to help preserve the victory.
Offensively Falk helped his own cause with a home run. Riley Davis also delivered run support with a home run of his own.
Tuesday, July 17: Carbon- 10, Nevada-3:
Playing for the second consecutive day, Carbon responded to a 2-0 first inning deficit with four runs in the bottom half of the frame. Carbon scored in each of the next five innings to romp past their second opponent.
Riley Davis earned the win on the mound pitching three solid innings. Camden Wilson finished the final three frames, allowing just one run to help secure the win.
Offensively Carbon delivered a well balanced attack, while also taking advantage of multiple Nevada errors. Ridge Nelson logged two RBIs, while Davis, CJ Smuin and Wyatt Falk all recorded one.
Thursday, July 19: Carbon- 15, Northern Utah-3:
Fresh off of a bye on Wednesday, Carbon wasted little time developing a massive lead by scoring seven runs in the first inning. The offense continued to fire on all cylinders as the game ended after the fourth inning due to the mercy rule.
Ridge Nelson earned the win on the mound after pitching three solid innings, allowing only one earned run. Riley Davis pitched the final inning, striking out two batters in the relief appearance.
Maizen Pritchard led a solid team performance at the plate with three RBIs. Nelson, Davis and Skyler Madsen all brought in two runs.
With Thursday’s win Carbon is now the lone unbeaten team in Pool A, holding a one-game lead over Long Beach and Visalia in the loss column.
Friday, July 20: Visalia- 9, Carbon-2:
Playing for an opportunity to grab the No. 1 seed out of Pool A, Carbon fell behind 4-0 in the first inning. Despite finding moderate success at the plate, Carbon was unable to overcome four Visalia home runs in the setback.
Peyton Molinar and Jared Saccamano finished with one RBI a piece to lead Carbon in the loss. The two runs scored was the team’s lowest output of the tournament.
The loss dips Carbon to 3-1 in pool play, placing them second in the division. The second place finish is enough for the team to advance to the four team single elimination tournament on Saturday to determine the champion.