Playing with a depleted pitching staff, the Goleta Valley South Little League 10-11 All-Stars fell to Orange, 8-4, Tuesday night and were eliminated from the Division 3 Tournament.
The local squad finished third, which equates to being one of the top six 11-under teams in Southern California.
Having used several pitchers in Monday’s extra-inning 18-16 win over Quartz Hill, Goleta Valley was in a vulnerable position going into the elimination game in Ontario.
Goleta Valley got on the scoreboard first, scoring single runs in the first and second innings. Carson Vom Steeg scored the first run after leading off the game with a double. He moved to third on a sacrifice by Trey Klopstein and came home on a fielder’s choice by Blake Katsev.
In the second Josh Feldhaus knocked in Louis Shalhoob with a single.
Orange took the lead for good with four runs on five hits in the third inning. Goleta Valley got one run back in the bottom of the inning on a bunt single by Shalhoob and an infield hit by Vom Steeg.
Orange added two runs in the fourth and sixth to open up an 8-3 lead.
Goleta Valley tried to rally in the bottom of the sixth. Thomas Hantgin led off the inning with a double and scored on a double to the fence by Feldhaus. But Orange’s pitching stepped up and ended the game and Goleta Valley’s tremendous postseason run.
Coach Dan Feldhaus said Orange Coach Chris Esparanza told him that he was “never comfortable with the lead they had against us until we got that final out in the sixth inning.”
Goleta Valley won the District 63 and Section 1 championships to reach the divisional tournament.
