The Santa Barbara Riptide U13 baseball club team won the Orange County Opener tournament.
Nick Kitzman and Luke Coffey combined on a two-hit shutout, and Quinntin Perez played flawless defense at shortstop, leading the 13-under Santa Barbara Riptide Baseball Club to a 7-0 win over the Tustin Mets in the championship game of the Orange County Spring Opener tournament in Huntington Beach.
Kitzman pitched five innings and Luke Coffey finished up with two strong innings. Perez handled 13 chances at shortstop without making an error.
A RBI single by Bryce Morison gave the Riptide a 1-0 lead. The team added two runs in the fourth, one in the sixth and three in the seventh inning.
The Riptide went 5-0 in the tournament. It opened with a 13-2 rout against the San Marcos Shock. Jesus Carrillo and Kyle VonTillow led the offensive attack by driving in three runs apiece. Andrew Rivera pitched four strong innings, allowing only two runs and scattering four hits, in a 16-2 win in the second game.
After winning its third game of the tournament, the Riptide played Santa Clarita Mudcats in the semifinals. Kevin Gowdy was dominant on the mound, allowing only one hit and no earned runs while going the distance in a 9-1 win. Austin Vreeland and Wyatt Vogsland both hit home runs and combined for six RBIs.
This makes two consecutive tournament championships for the Riptide.
The Riptide team is managed by John Jensen and consists of: Jesus Carrillo, Shannon Carroll, Luke Coffey, Kevin Gowdy, John Jensen, Nick Kitzman, Bryce Morison, Quinn Peacock, Quinntin Perez, Andrew Rivera, Wyatt Vogsland, Kyle VonTillow, and Austin Vreeland.
