CHICO — With its back up against the wall, and facing elimination in the 2024 Northern California Baseball State 9-11 Tournament, the Chico Central Little League 11-U All Star team battled. Trailing 2-0 and having just one hit and two baserunners (one error) through four innings against Atwater Little League pitcher Xavier Tapia, the Chico team rallied for five hits and four runs, before adding a fifth run in the bottom of the fifth inning on two singles and a wild pitch. Pitcher Jordy McCunie entered in relief of starter Ryan Baldwin with two outs in the top of the fourth inning, stranded the bases loaded, and got seven of the nine batters out he faced, as Chico Central Little League held on for the 5-2 victory.
Atwater got the tying run to the plate with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning, but McCunie got a strikeout swinging and a strikeout looking to end the game. Chico Central Little League's Jordy McCunie delivers a pitch against Atwater on Sunday, July 21, 2024 at Chico Eastside Little League in Chico, California. McCunie pitched the final 2 1/3 innings and allowed no runs.
(Eddie Saltzman/Contributed) Chico Central Little League catcher Blake Anderson celebrates after Chico defeats Atwater 5-2 with a strikeout for the final out Sunday, July 21, 2024 at Chico Eastside Little League in Chico, California. (Eddie Saltzman/Contributed) Chico Central Little League's Gryphon Naylor makes prepares to make contact on a hit in the bottom of the fifth inning in Chico's 5-2 victory against Atwater on Sunday, July 21, 2024 at Chico Eastside Little League in Chico, California. (Eddie Saltzman/Contributed) Chico Central Little League's Ryan Baldwin squares around to bunt in Chico's 5-2 victory against Atwater on Sunday, July 21, 2024 at Chico Eastside Little League in Chico, California.
(Eddie Saltzman/Contributed) Chico Central Little League's Ryan Baldwin delivers a pitch in Chico's 5-2 victory against Atwater on Sunday, July 21, 2024 at Chico Eastside Little League in Chico, California. Baldwin pitched 3 2/3 innings and allowed two runs. (Eddie Saltzman/Contributed) Chico Central Little League's Jordy McCunie delivers a pitch against Atwater on Sunday, July 21, 2024 at Chico Eastside Little League in Chico, California.
McCunie pitched the final 2 1/3 innings and allowed no runs. (Eddie Saltzman/Contributed) Chico Central Little League faces Maidu at 6:30 p.m.
tonight, with the winner to play at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The loser goes home. Maidu lost to Granada 1-0 Sunday afternoon. “We hit, and it was the bottom of my lineup that has not been doing well,” said Chico Central Little League All Stars manager Greg Anderson.
“We had some great, clutch hits. Hitting Is contagious in Little League, and in every league. The bottom of the lineup got their job’s done, and we capitalize on mistakes.
” Sunday’s win came after a loss Saturday in which the Chico Central Little League pitchers walked nine hitters, something Anderson stressed to his team could not happen Sunday. “When you walk nine kids, you’re giving free baserunners,” Anderson said. Chico’s pitchers walked just two Sunday.
The first there innings of Sunday’s game, Chico hitters struggled to keep up with the speed of Tapia’s pitching, as well as his 3/4 sling shot-like release point. Tapia struck out six batters through the first three innings, but once the Chico batters saw him a couple of times, they started to figure it out and capitalize. Anderson reinforced to his kids that it is a long game and to keep battling, reminding them that they were the home team so they had the last at bats.
After a groundout to start the bottom of the fourth inning, Davis Hein reached first base on a strikeout that got past the catcher. Zuri Call singled to right field for the first hit for Chico since the second inning, and leadoff hitter Kairo Leedine got Chico’s second straight opposite field single to score Hein. Brooks Battenfield got Chico’s third straight hit and appeared to tie the game at 2-2, but Call was called out for leaving second base early.
After a brief discussion by the umpires, the call stood, but McCunie helped his own cause and singled to right field to tie the game at 2-2. The hits continued for Chico, when Max Gilmore singled to right field, Chico’s fifth straight hit, to score two runs and increase Chico’s lead to 4-2. Chico added a fifth run on leadoff single from Kellen O’Connell, a wild pitch from Tapia, and a single from Gryphon Naylor to right field.
“They saw him a couple of times, and that’s the thing with leaving a guy out there for six innings,” Anderson said. “Eventually the kids are here for a reason, and they’re going to figure out how to hit him and they did towards the last couple of innings.” Anderson hopes that the momentum his team used Sunday will continue into Monday night’s matchup.
“We continue to reinforce that you can hit, you guys are batters, you can get it done, and keep battling,” Anderson said. “Keep the energy at the end of this game into tomorrow night.” In the NorCal Tournament, it is not often any of the three Chico Little League sites plays host.
When Chico Eastside Little League found out at the start of the season that it would host, it steadily made improvements to its facility to be ready for the tournament, which began Saturday and runs through Friday. Peter Davis, the Chico Eastside Little League president and board member for the last three years, said that being able to host is about being able to showcase the city of Chico itself, not just the little league fields. “People got to go to local restaurants, help the local economy, a lot of people staying in local hotels, and they got to see the facility itself,” Davis said.
“This is one of the prime facilities in Northern California. It was good to show our facility off and the hard work the board puts in.” Board members and volunteers put in hard work preparing for the tournament, including repainting many of the backstops, remodeling one of the fields’ press boxes, and making improvements to its snack bar amongst others.
“We wanted to make sure we were going to represent Chico well,” Davis said. Anderson had high praise for the work that Chico Eastside Little League and its volunteers and board members have put in. “Eastside’s a beautiful little league facility,” Anderson said.
“The fields are in great condition, they’ve got great trees, my hats off to the folks at Eastside. They really put a lot of time and effort in to make this place great for these kids and I love it.”.
