Playoff action starts for M-A Little League Playoff action starts for M-A Little League (June 09, 2004)

By David Hansen
For M-A Little League

The Menlo-Atherton Little League playoffs began at Willow Field in Menlo Park on June 4 with few surprises in the opening games. Lutticken's and Brix, both beneficiaries of first-round byes, advanced with victories in their first games. When they met head-to-head on Saturday, June 5, Lutticken's prevailed in a well-played game, 4-1. Both teams will continue to advance in the double-elimination tournament.

In the opening round of play, Anderson's and Draeger's picked up wins over Goetz Bros. and Cashin Co., respectively.

Round Two play saw a dramatic 9-8 victory by Brix in their game with Draeger's. Down 7-0 in the fourth, Brix never stopped battling, chipping away at the lead to bring the score to 8-5 as they went into their last at bat. Peyton Smith's double and a clutch two-run RBI single by Hunter Shaw then tied the game to send it into extra innings.

Things looked grim for Brix when Draeger's loaded the bases in the top of seven, but Ryan McGill retired the next three batters with two big strikeouts and a pop fly to quash the rally. Brix rode the wave into their at bat, and after loading the bases with one away, sent Phillip Anderson to the dish to drive an 0-2 pitch to centerfield, driving in Jack Larson with the gamer.

Brix played again in the week's last contest, dropping their first game of the tournament to Lutticken's, 4-1. Lutticken's played classic "small ball," scratching out four runs with only four hits and some very aggressive base-running. Nils Gilbertson made it stick with an overpowering turn on the mound, striking out seven of the 10 batters he faced over three innings.

Draeger's defeated Goetz 2-1 on a dramatic steal of home by Matt Crowder, dealing Goetz their second loss, and elimination.

Cashin Co.'s season ended Saturday with a 17-13 loss to Anderson's. Ryan Chilcoate clubbed a home run to lead Anderson's to a commanding 17-5 lead by the fourth inning, but Cashin refused to go quietly. Powered by consecutive hits from Austin Hume, Turner Baty and Robby Galliani, they managed a dramatic eight-run rally in the top of the fifth. But a diving pick, and a throw from the knees for a force at second by Anderson's shortstop Michael Abramson, proved to be the key play in turning back Cashin's final run for the lead in the sixth.

Brix will play the winner of a Draeger's-Anderson's match-up to determine who will challenge Lutticken's in the championship game on Saturday, June 12, at Willow Field.

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