Goleta Valley South runner Evan Kling slides safely into second base under the tag of Arroyo Grande shortstop Michael McLean during Monday night?s Little League Section 1 playoffs in Nipomo. (Courtesy Photo)
Goleta Valley South found itself down two runs going into the bottom of the third inning Monday night.
Then the designated home team started scoring runs in bunches.
Goleta Valley scored six runs in the third inning. The home squad pushed across five runs, all unearned, in the fourth en route to beating Arroyo Grande 12-4 in an elimination game at Nipomo?s baseball complex in the Little League Section One Tournament for 11-and-12-year-olds.
Colter Nisbet tied the game for the home team, at 3-all, with a two-run home run in the bottom of the third. Evan Kling scored on a wild pitch to give Goleta Valley South its first lead. Reserve Isaac Oh made it 6-3 with a two-run double.
?The team that wanted it more, in my mind, won tonight,? Arroyo Grande manager Roger Arcano said afterward. ?They were sharper than we were.?
Arroyo Grande had three errors. Goleta Valley South didn?t have any.
Jordan Arcano, Roger?s son, gave Arroyo Grande a 2-0 lead by hitting a home run over the centerfield fence in the top of the first. Arte Hernandez made it 3-1 when he homered in the top of the third.
Goleta Valley South plays Moorpark tonight at 5 p.m. in the sectional championship round. This marks the third straight season that GVSLL and Moorpark have met in the Sectional Championship game. Moorpark leads the series between these teams over the years, 5-1.
Moorpark beat Goleta Valley South 5-2 Sunday. If Moorpark wins today, the three-team tournament is over and Moorpark will advance to the Southern California North Sub Divisional Tournament that starts July 21 in Los Angeles. If Goleta Valley South prevails, another game ? slated for a 5 p.m. start Wednesday night ? will determine the Section One champion.
Kling beat a throw home from the infield to give Goleta Valley South an 8-3 lead with its first run of the fourth inning Monday night. Two runs scored on an error. Dylan Shugart doubled home a run, and Trey Tank plated a run with a sacrifice fly.
Bryce Fledderman led off the top of the sixth for Arroyo Grande with a walk. Jacob Soriano singled Fledderman to second base, then Sam Soares brought Fledderman in with a double.
Goleta Valley South pitchers retired the next three batters. Nisbet, the home team?s fifth pitcher, got the last two outs. GVSLL was buoyed by strong pitching performances by unlikely candidates, normal starting catcher Sam Drew began the game on the hill and outfielder Oh contributed an inning and a third of relief work of his own.
All in all Arroyo Grande used six pitchers.
Kling went 4-for-4. Shugart added two hits for the winners. Hernandez, Soriano and Jordan Arcano all had two hits for Arroyo Grande.
