Local Pony all-stars win tournament Local Pony all-stars win tournament (July 14, 2004)

A newly formed Pony league all-stars baseball team captured a sectional tournament title and is competing in the Northern California regional tournament this week.

Hailing from Woodside, Atherton, Menlo Park and Portola Valley, the WAMP All-stars are boys age 8 and under.

At the Almanac's deadline on Monday, the WAMP All-stars were 1-1 over the weekend at the regional tournament in Brentwood. The team topped the San Jose PAL 11-3 at the July 10 game pitched by Mikey Diekroeger and Robert Larson. Extra-base hits from the Kroger and Landon Baty gave the All-stars a 7-0 lead after two innings.

The following day, the WAMP All-stars lost 10-4 to the Richmond All-stars, despite extra-base hits from Diekroger, Beatty and Alex Andrighetto. The team still has a chance to advance to the Western World Series in Garden Grove, Orange County July 22-25.

In their sectional win, the boys opened the eight-team double-elimination tournament, held June 24 to July 4, with a 13-1 win over San Jose Pacific in four innings. Nick Hidalgo and Peter Bouret combined on a three-hitter, and Hidalgo also drove in four runs with a pair of two-out singles, according to team manager Steven Yecies.

The WAMP All-stars went on to beat Lakewood 7-1, as Diekroeger and Larson pitched a one-hitter and struck out four batters in six innings, Yecies said. Diekroeger had three hits and Larson drove in two runs. The two boys pitched another gem of a game in the team's 8-3 win over Blossom Valley No. 2 of San Jose, he said. In the game, a two-hitter with 12 strikeouts, Baty hit a bases-loaded double off the top of the center-field fence while Hidalgo added four RBIs to lead the offense.

In the championship game against Lakewood Pony of Sunnyvale, Scott Evans, Baty and Hidalgo threw a three-hitter. Evans had five RBIs with a bases-loaded triple contributing to a 10-run third inning, Yecies said. Diekroeger and Grant Stewart each contributed three RBIs to a 16-4 win in five innings.

Over the course of the tournament, the WAMP All-stars' six pitchers gave up nine hits and 13 walks while striking out 37 hitters over 21 innings. Yecies credited the team's outstanding defense for only committing four errors during the tournament.

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