District 52 Little League All-Stars 11s and 12s roundup

Menlo-Atherton 6, Alpine 5

Menlo-Atherton’s Cole Swartzberg earned a walk-off bruise to propel his team to the championship round of the District 52 12s tournament at Middlefield Ballpark.

After trailing 4-0 in the fourth, Menlo-Atherton rallied to take the lead with a five-run rally in the bottom of the inning. Then, after Alpine tied it in the top of the sixth on a Roman Trujillo sacrifice fly to drive in Blake Budelli, Menlo-Atherton fired back in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases to set the stage for Swartzberg.

Bryce Gilmartin led off the bottom of the sixth with an infield single and Riggins Mitchell followed with a walk. Alpine bounced back with a strikeout, and after Brian Bishoff walked to load the bases, Alpine got the strike-three call for out No. 2. Then Swartzberg stepped to the plate, and worked the count to 2-0 before getting hit by a pitch for the second time in the game to force home Gilmartin with the game-winning run.

Menlo-Atherton totaled five hits in the game, paced by Jack Brubacher’s 3-for-3 day. Swartzberg finished with two RBIs. Budelli and Trujillo paced Hillsborough with two hits apiece.

Hillsborough jumped ahead in the first on a solo home run to left by Trujillo. Hillsborough added two in the third when Max Masters and Matt McGrory scoring on an infield error off the bat of Budelli. In the fourth, Hillsborough made it 4-0 on an RBI groundout from BJ Butler to score Trujillo.

Menlo-Atherton answered in the bottom of the fourth to claim the lead. Brubacher led off with a single to center, and Luca Fagini got hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second. Then with two outs, Mitchell reached on an infield error to score Brubacher and the courtesy runner Gilmartin. Henry Liu and Brian Bischof then drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. PJ McGaraghan reached on an infield error to score Mitchell, closing it to 4-3. Swartzberg then got hit by a pitch to score Liu with the tying run, and Menlo-Atherton took the lead on a Jack Stoffel walk to score Bischof.

Brubacher, the Menlo-Atherton starting pitcher, worked four innings. Relief pitcher Ian Smith earned the win, working the last two innings, allowing one unearned run on two hits and a walk, with one strikeout.

Menlo-Atherton now advances through the elimination bracket to face San Mateo American in the championship round, opening Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. San Mateo American must be defeated twice to be denied the banner. American, having advanced through the winners’ bracket, need win only once.

Alpine posted a 2-2 record in the tournament. Their roster includes McGrory, Budelli, Trujillo, Butler, Lucas Maffia, JR Brock, Cameron Pyle, Jack McDonough, Grant Bochnowski, Henry Rylander, Aaron Lytikainen and Max Masters.

D52 Little League All-Stars 11s tournament

San Mateo American 6, Hillsborough 4

Owen Bittle climbed up the mound two days after working 1 2/3 innings in Friday’s combined no-hitter of Foster City and proved San Mateo American’s iron man, firing five innings to earn the win in Sunday’s elimination bracket semifinals. Bittle and Hillsborough starting pitcher Thomas Ramirez traded zeroes for three innings, but American rallied for six runs in the fourth to put Bittle in line for the win. The right-hander allowed four runs (one earned) through five innings of work. Sole struck out the side in the sixth to close it out.

Bittle did it with the bat as well, putting American on the board with a three-run home run. Bayer sparked the big inning with a leadoff single, and Baker followed with a walk. Bittle cleared the bases with a bomb to center field, then Zach Marinec gave a command performance with a solo home run to left. Brayden Sole, Carter Wells and JT Pettigrew each singled to load the bases before Ben Girard reached on an error to score Sole. Lazlo Cianci then got hit by a pitch to force home Carter Wells.

It was all the runs American would need, but Hillsborough made it interesting with a four-run outburst in the fifth. Colton Kreuzkamp got hit by a pitch to force home Giani Morrone for Hillsborough’s first run and Ramirez followed with an RBI walk to score Jack Snethen. Then with two outs, Finn Rowbotham doubled home Kreuzkamp and Colton Kung to make it 6-4. American stuck with Bittle, though, and the right-hander escaped with the lead intact, finishing his day with his first strikeout.

Sole paced American with two hits, while Jacobson had a team-best 2-for-3 day for Hillsborough.

With the win, American advances to the championship round, and must defeat Alpine twice to claim the District 52 banner. Alpine, having advanced through the winners’ bracket, need win only once. As if-necessary game is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.

Hillsborough posted a 2-2 record in the tourney. Their roster includes Duffell, Jacobson, Kreuzkamp, Morrone, Ramirez, Rowbotham, Snethen, Easton Andreacchi, Will Cantwell, William DeMartini, Ivan Grizelj and Colton Kung.