Half Moon Bay falls in Section 3 13s finals

District 57 champ Bollinger Canyon rode the momentum to an 8-3 victory to claim the Section 3 championship.

“The kid was throwing good,” Half Moon Bay manager Corey Gunning said. “He was throwing some heat, and was definitely shutting down our hitters down.”

On Tuesday evening, Dias worked one inning of relief, but when he entered HMB already had a comfortable lead on the scoreboard en route to an 8-2 win. It would stand as HMB’s only win in three matchups against Bollinger Canyon throughout the tournament, and they posted two crooked numbers in the victory — a two-run third and a four-run fourth.

Mackey Connell was a perfect 3 for 3 at the plate Tuesday, including an RBI double that prompted Bollinger Canyon to turn to Dias. Come Wednesday, with Dias entering in a perilous situation to protect a one-run lead, the right-hander was throwing noticeably harder.

“Probably a little harder,” Connell said. “It’s not unhitable. ... If we could have had one or two more innings, we could have got some hits against him and rallied.”

That would have been a tall order. Dias worked five innings in the tourney finale, striking out seven. Connell did enjoy the loudest contact against him in the sixth. After Wyatt Gunning reached on a bloop double, Connell lined an RBI single to center to deliver HMB’s final run of the tournament.

Unfortunately for HMB, Bollinger Canyon had already broken it open in the top of the inning, rallying for four runs, all with two outs.

HMB was one out away from getting back in the dugout in the top of the sixth after catcher Dominic Seaton gunned down a would-be base stealer at second with an absolute rocket throw. But Bollinger Canyon reignited the offense with a Cruz Salinas single and a walk to Layken Wright, before cleanup hitter Jack Toton smashed an RBI single to center. Then after Dias got hit by a pitch to load the bases, Bollinger Canyon Little League’s Dallas Milat Sportsmanship Award winner John O’Keefe really made it hurt with a three-run single to give his team a 7-2 lead.

“It definitely changed the mood,” Wyatt Gunning said. “We got a little disappointed and a little down.”

HMB showed resiliency early. Bollinger Canyon scratched out a run in the top of the first against HMB staring pitcher Aiden Keates — O’Keefe got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force home Salinas — but HMB answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame on a two-run single by cleanup batter Oliver Kern.

HMB scored in the first inning in each of its nine games in All-Stars play, including five wins in the District 52 tournament, and four games in Section 3 play. They have totaled 21 first-inning runs in those games, including nine first-inning runs in the Section 3 tourney.

“We’ve always typically come back and put one on the board when someone puts one up on us,” Corey Gunning said.

Bollinger Canyon quickly tied it in the second, however, by virtue of an unearned run. Dylan Turner reached on an infield error with one out. Turner then stole third and scored on a wild pitch to tie it 2-all.

In the third, Bollinger Canyon jumped back ahead. Sean O’Callaghan led off with a walk, moved to second on a balk, and scooted to third on a wild pitch. Then Eric Reynoso drove him in with an RBI single to give Bollinger Canyon a 3-2 lead. They’d lead the rest of the way.

Bollinger Canyon starting pitcher Layken Wright worked two-plus innings. He’s been a stalwart arm this summer, and even threw a regulation no-hitter in the District 57 tournament against Granada. Bollinger Canyon manager Justin Wright said he always planned to turn to Dias to close it out, but no necessarily in the third inning.

“That was the strategy,” Justin Wright said, “and we just went to him earlier than we planned to.”

HMB was primed to go large against Layken Wright in the third when Seaton singled, and Wyatt Gunning and Connell drew back-to-back walks to bring the cleanup hitter Kern to the plate. HMB’s top four hitters went 5 for 9 with two walks in the game, and have been a force throughout the All-Stars season.

“It’s really good,” Connell said. “I think it’s a good 1-2-3, and then Oli’s after.”

Dias needed just 10 pitches to escape the jam, striking out Kern and Brayden Davis on three pitches apiece, then throwing one ball against the last batter of the inning, Kayden Casteneda, before getting a swing-through on a fastball in the dirt to retire the side.

Dias ultimately closed it out with a 1-2-3 seventh, inducing a fly ball to right field off the bat of Keates for Reynoso to jog in an glove it to set off a Bollinger Canyon celebration in the middle of the infield. With the win, Bollinger Canyon advances to the Nor Cal tournament, opening Saturday in Rocklin.

“They are excited to move on to state,” Justin Wright said. “I think it’s 1% of teams who move on to the state. ... So, yeah, they’re excited.”

Knocking off District 52 champ HMB hold special significance for Bollinger Canyon, consisting of the same group of players that won the District 57 championship last season as 12-year-olds. Bollinger Canyon advanced to the 2024 Section 3 12s tournament, and reached the championship round, only to fall to the District 52 champion, the “No-No Kids,” San Mateo American.

HMB finishes the summer with a 7-2 record, with their only two losses coming to Bollinger Canyon. After falling 10-5 in the first matchup between the two team in Sunday’s winners’ bracket game, HMB bounced back Tuesday, backed largely by four dominant innings from the left-handed starter Kern, who allowed one unearned run on three hits through four innings, while striking out 11.

“It helped a lot,” Wyatt Gunning said. “Just having all the momentum from him mowing them down, it just carried over to our bats.”

HMB’s roster included: Thomas Benson, Jax Brown, Chase Barger, Tristan Chaney and Luke Gordon. Assistant coaches were Kevin Connell and Chad Barger.