Half Moon Bay 14-year-olds claim Section 3 Little League All-Stars Juniors baseball championship

The kids from the Coastside did just that Tuesday evening, finishing off a sweep through the Section 3 All-Stars Juniors tourney with a 14-4 mercy-rule walk-off win over San Lorenzo Little League at Dougherty Valley High School in San Ramon. The 14-and-under squad now advances to the Northern California tournament, opening Saturday morning in Turlock.

“I was kind of surprised,” said Wyatt Gunning, the Half Moon Bay player who scored the winning run in the bottom of the fifth. “Coming from a small town, it’s pretty cool to carry our name this far, all the way to state. Not winning it last year was kind of a bummer, so getting that revenge, it was kind of cool.”

HMB generated a lot of offense in sweeping through the Section 3 tournament in three games, including an 11-3 win over Bollinger Canyon in the opener, Friday, July 3, and 15-1 over Newark, Sunday, July 5. The 13-man batting order hit .438 through the tourney, paced by a red-hot Mackey Connell, who went 6 for 7 with four RBIs.

“I think that has been our advantage,” HMB manager Corey Gunning said. “Top to bottom, our kids are putting the ball in play or finding a gap. It’s been pretty solid top to bottom.”

Tuesday’s championship finale was closer than the final score indicates, though. HMB was leading 7-1 heading into the fifth, when San Lorenzo rallied for three runs in the top of the frame, capped by a two-run double from Lorenzo Roa. HMB fired right back, sending nine batters to the plate to post a seven-run inning to invoke the 10-run mercy-rule.

“It was kind of a whirlwind ... because San Lorenzo scored three runs on us in the top of the fifth, made it a 7-4 ballgame,” Corey Gunning said. “And our boys have just been super resilient this year.”

It was so much a whirlwind, HMB didn’t even realize they’d won it when Wyatt Gunning jogged across the plate with the walk-off run. With HMB up 13-4, Kayden Castaneda was at the plate when Gunning advanced to third on a wild pitch. Then Castaneda grounded to the shortstop, bringing home Gunning with the throw going to first base for the first out of the inning.

“Honestly, I didn’t even realize it was the game-inning run, and I don’t think a lot of other people did either,” Wyatt Gunning said.

It was such a mystery, the on-deck batter, Luke Gordon, was walking to the plate before the third-base umpire intervened, calling the game via mercy-rule.

“Then I see everyone in the background jumping up and down, and I got confused,” Wyatt Gunning said.

“Yeah we were pretty hyped,” HMB starting pitcher Ollie Kern said. “We were all super excited. It was a long journey to get there in the first place.”

With the championship victory, Kern recorded his second win of the tournament. He worked 4 1/3 innings, allowing three runs (none earned) on two hits and two walks while striking out eight. The left-hander also earned the win in the tourney opener, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks, and striking out seven, through 3 2/3 innings.

“Overall, I’d say it was a pretty good performance, and I’m ready to go in and try to do the same thing for states — compete,” Kern said.

Kern swung a hot stick through the tournament as well, hitting safely in all three games to go 3 for 4 with four walks and six RBIs. His biggest swing came in Tuesday’s championship game with a two-run triple. HMB led 2-1 going into the third, when Aiden Keates led off with a walk, and Greyson Reisen drew a two-out walk. Connell followed with an RBI single.

Then with runners on the corners, Kern was swinging away on a 3-0 pitch, and crushed a fastball over the center fielder’s head to knock in both baserunners.

“It was my pitch in that at-bat, so I did what I could with it,” Kern said.

Brayden Davis kept the two-out rally going with an RBI single to left, and Thomas Benson capped the rally with a bases-loaded single to make it 7-1.

Davis was 2 for 3 with four RBIs in the contest, while Benson and Jack Meldrum added two hits apiece.

“We’ve been hitting really good,” Connell said. “I haven’t been too surprised because we’ve been practicing a lot. But I’m pretty happy with how we did.”

Connell capped his tear through the Section 3 tournament going 1 for 2 with two walks and three runs scored.

Prior to Section 3 play, Connell was scuffling with a .250 batting average (3 for 12) through the District 52 tournament. After consistently batting in the heart of the order, he was dropped to the No. 9 spot for the District 52 championship game, Saturday, June 27, with HMB getting past Menlo-Atherton for a 3-2 victory. Connell had an RBI single in the fifth inning, giving HMB a 3-0 lead at the time. Connell’s RBI knock proved invaluable as M-A scored twice in the sixth.

HMB’s No. 3 hitter opened the tournament with a 4-for-4 game against Bollinger Canyon.

“I took a break for a few days,” Connell said. “And after that I felt really good.”

HMB opens play in the Nor Cal tournament against District 44 champion Sunnyvale at Turlock High School, Saturday, at 10 a.m. The seven-team, double-elimination tourney concludes with the championship round opening Thursday, July 16, with an if-necessary game tentatively scheduled for Friday, July 17.