The Alpine/West Menlo 9- and 10-year-old all-star team’s incredible run came to its conclusion Aug. 28 as the team lost 9-3 to Alameda Little League, eliminating Alpine from the Northern California Divisional Championship series in Campbell. The team finished fourth in the tournament, winning two and losing two.
“It was our fourth game of the tournament, and we simply just ran out of pitching,” said manager Mark Martella. “It was just a difficult situation for us with the fourth game in four days.”
Alpine/West Menlo’s No. 1 pitcher Kodiak Conrad was able to pitch the Little League maximum 75 pitches, but those 75 only carried his team through the third inning. Travis Jones then came in to relieve Conrad, making his first appearance on the mound for Alpine.
Alpine’s pitching core was further taxed because two of the team’s pitchers missed the divisional championship series for family vacations, said Martella.
This team advanced farther than any Alpine 9-10-year-old all-star team from years past when it won the District 52 championship. It then added a Section 3 championship and a fourth place finish in the divisional championships. Many of the games were thrilling come-from-behind victories and several were decided by a single run.
“Overall, we’re extremely thrilled with how these guys did,” said Martella. “A fourth-place finish in all of Northern California is a great accomplishment.”
