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Scotts Valley 8- and 9-year-old All-Stars Ryan Gallegos (from left), Owen Rockow, Ethan Emanuelson, Jacob Utic, Nicholas Reyes, Kyle Raymond, Dawson Danner and Travis Lane celebrate their win at Aptos Junior High as coaches Art Danner (from left), Tom Carli and Jeff Lane watch the bunch. Lucjan Szewczyk/Press-Banner

"This is without a doubt the greatest single day in the history of the league," said former president and board member Tim McNulty, one of the group’s most experienced leaders.

Coming on the heels of the Scotts Valley 7-8s’ tournament win two weeks ago, the trio of wins meant four of the five Scotts Valley all-star teams had won their respective tournaments, which were contested by 50 teams from Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and San Benito counties.

Scotts Valley 9- and 10-year-old All-Stars’ closing lefty pitcher Jack Palmer heats up on the mound during Saturday’s title game against Aptos in Watsonville. Lucjan Szewczyk/Press-Banner

With their wins, the 9-10s and 11-12s advance to this week’s sectional tournament. The winners will go on to the state tournament.

Despite their second-place finish, the 10-11s arguably turned in the most impressive performance of the bunch. After losing their opening game to Santa Cruz American 5-3, the team went on a six-game tear, handing the Capitola-Soquel squad its first loss of the tournament. In the rematch for the championship Sunday, July 13, Scotts Valley closed a 5-1 deficit in the final inning to 5-4 and loaded the bases before the final out was recorded on a questionable called third strike.

"Even after our first game and loss, there was never a doubt in my mind that we had the talent and skills to win every game from that point on," Coach John Snider said. "While the last game was a tough loss for us, we never gave up, and in my eyes, we came out champions."

Scotts Valley 8-9s 7, Aptos 3

Matt Gillette and Travis Lane turned in stellar pitching performances that were amply backed up by strong defense that snuffed out two Aptos bases-loaded rallies.

After the team won, members of the team buzz-cut their hair. Shown in inset, Drew Collishaw admires the No. 29 shaved in teammate Palmer’s hair as Tanner Spence gets his head buzzed for the first time by Kristin Collishaw. Peter Burke/Press-Banner

The game was put out of reach when the team’s only 8-year old, Kyle Raymond, laid down a perfect bunt that the Aptos pitcher threw away. Raymond scored Scotts Valley’s sixth run as he scampered all the way to third on the error and then reached home on a passed ball.

The 8-9s were coached by Art Danner, who captained most of the same boys on the Scotts Valley 7-8s to their tournament win last year.

Scotts Valley 9-10s 14, Aptos 6

This game was nip-and-tuck through the first three innings before Scotts Valley’s bats exploded, capped by Matt Braverman’s grand-slam home run in the sixth. Trevor Alvarez, Sawyer Stemm and Jack Palmer had two hits each, with Alvarez doubling and tripling while Palmer closed down the game with two very effective innings of relief. A.J. Collishaw had a hit and three walks and scored twice, and Tanner Spence had a hit, a walk and two runs scored.

Coach Mark Collishaw and the players agree that a big part of the team’s success is its closeness.

The team also started a tradition of having Collishaw’s wife, Kristen, give a buzz cut to one of its longer-haired players after each win, a fad that spread to some of the team’s parents.

Scotts Valley 8- and 9-year-old All-Stars winning pitcher Travis Lane delivers a pitch during the Scotts Valley All-Star title game against Aptos. Lucjan Szewczyk/Press-Banner

Scotts Valley 11-12s 14,
Capitola-Soquel 8

Pitcher Alex Waggoner was the hero of the day, pitching four stellar innings while helping his own cause with a 4-for-4 day at the plate in which he stroked two doubles and drove in five runs. Bubba Rogers homered for Scotts Valley and had two hits on the day, as did Tyler Bisel and Willie Johnston.

"Everybody on the team contributed to the tournament win in some way," said Austin Froid, who complemented Waggoner with terrific pitching throughout the tournament.

Froid hit one of the team’s nine homers in their run. Alex Pruneau and Bisel hit three each, and Willie Johnston went deep once.

Alex Waggoner of the Scotts Valley 11- and 12-year-old All-Stars, who banked five strikeouts over four innings and went 4-for-4 with two doubles and five RBIs, tosses one against Capitola-Soquel. Lucjan Szewczyk/Press-Banner

Capitola-Soquel 6, SLV 11-12s 1

The San Lorenzo Valley 11- and 12-year-olds’ season ended Friday, July 11, with a loss to Capitola-Soquel.

Capitola-Soquel pitcher Chris Viall threw 88 pitches in a complete game, striking out 12 and allowing four hits.

In his final appearance as a Little Leaguer, Billy Mullins scorched a home run with two out in the bottom of the first inning, answering a two-run homer by Capitola-Soquel’s Hunter Parkinson.

The other hits for SLV smacked off the bat of Johnny Lucas (2-for-2, 2B) and a single by Mullins.

Neither team scored again until Capitola-Soquel had a four-run sixth inning that SLV couldn’t match.

One of the defensive highlights of the game was a play in which Mullins and pitcher Jordan Peabody combined on a putout at the plate to end the third inning after an opponent tried to steal on a passed ball.