A ‘Super’ finish for Belmont-Redwood Shores

The right-hander settled down, settled in, and led his team to the tournament title as Belmont-Redwood Shores — powered by a go-ahead three-run home run in the fourth by cleanup hitter Andre Zabrouskov — rallied late for an 8-2 win over Foster City to claim the Majors Superbowl championship banner Wednesday evening at the Belmont Sports Complex.

In his second starting pitching appearance of the tournament, Cagle went five innings to earn the win, allowing two runs on two hits while striking out nine. He also had a big swing at the plate, with BRS leading 4-2 in the fifth, stepping to the plate with the bases loaded and singling home three runs to break it open.

Reliever Mason Paul closed out the win for the second straight game, retiring the side in order in the bottom of the sixth. The right-hander struck out two, including a called third strike to end it, setting off the championship celebration in the middle of the infield.

“It felt really good and I was really happy since we won the whole thing,” Cagle said. “And it’s one of my first times winning this type of tournament. And it felt good celebrating with my team because I really like my teammates and everything they do, so it just felt good to win with them.”

Foster City was coming off a wild 11-10 win over San Mateo American in the tournament semifinals. After letting an early lead get away, Foster City entered its final at-bat trailing American by one run, but loaded the bases for Jayden DeGuzman to score the tying run on a wild pitch, and Philip Otsuji to coax a bases-loaded walk-off walk.

“They’re all good ballplayers but they’re all good boys,” Foster City manager Justin Otsuji said. “They all support each other. They would be times we’d have ups and downs during the tournament, and it never got too low because everyone picked each other up and really supported each other and cheered each other on. And top to bottom, they all contributed somehow.”

Foster City slugger Michael Amundson provided the early power in Wednesday’s championship finale. Amundson didn’t hit any home runs during the Foster City Little League regular season, but followed a leadoff walk by DeGuzman with an opposite-field two-run homer to right-center to give his squad a 2-0 lead.

“I thought it was going to hit the fence,” Amundson said. “And as soon as I saw it go out, I got really excited.”

Foster City was held to just one more hit throughout, a second-inning single by Philip Otsuji. Cagle and Paul combined to retire 11 of the last 12 batters they faced.

Foster City starting pitcher Zachary Thorpe pitched through trouble in the first and third, both times stranding runners in scoring position. But in the fourth, BRS got super aggressive at the plate, with William Tadlock and Youzen Trotter setting the the table with back-to-back singles to open the inning, each on the first pitch he saw.

Then Zabrouskov gave BRS the lead with a towering opposite-field home run to right field, a blast that woke up his dugout in a hurry.

“They just exploded,” Belmont-Redwood Shores manager Sean Dobie said. “We were out here earlier today and hit about five balls in batting practice out. So, I was thinking before that at-bat he’s going to hit one, and then he did. It was unbelievable.”

The homer was a long time coming for Zabrouskov, who didn’t hit one during the BRS Little League regular season.

“I just couldn’t make good contact, and I went through a slump for a bit,” Zabrouskov said.

Thorpe departed after 3 1/3 innings for Amundson in relief. Amundson retired both batters he faced in the fourth to strand inherited runners at second and third.

But in the fifth, BRS added on. Grayson Waters opened the inning with a four-pitch walk. Then Christian Cooke singles, and Tadlock reached on an infield error to load the bases. Trotter drew a walk to make it 4-2 before Cagle came through with a three-run single, throwing the bat at an outside fastball and seeing the blooper fall in to clear the bases.

BRS added one more run in the sixth on an RBI single by Waters.

Also on the Majors Superbowl championship roster for Belmont-Redwood Shores: Taylor Dobie, Oliver Sternke, Owen Wagner and Matthew Strothkamp.