(Youth1) – Both the Pico Elite and Oakley Stingrays played their hearts out in Game Two of the Championship series at the Cecil Fielder Elite World Series.

After a quick top of the 1^st, Pico Elite jumped onto the board thanks to an inside-the-park home from Emilio Jimenez, blasting a shot over the centerfielder’s head to give the Pico Elite a 1-0 lead. Following the home run, the Stingrays robbed the Pico Elite of another hit when the second baseman made an incredible diving stop to throw the runner out at first.

The top of the 2^nd inning was when the Stingrays really kicked it into gear. After a squeeze bunt by Davis Heller, Kaleb Tedokon drove in Chase Adkinson and advanced Tony Galindo to second base with a single past the short stop to make it a 1-1 game. The Stingrays would continue their roll thanks to four more hits that inning. With the bases loaded, singles by Christopher Campos and Luis Espinoza as well as a triple by Jonathan Fuentes gave the Stingrays the 5-1 lead. Finally, an outstanding diving catch by the centerfielder ended the inning before the Stingrays could grab any more momentum. The Pico Elite would strike back in the bottom of the 2^nd with two runs on a single by Raider Peralta to make it 5-3.

After the 2^nd inning, both offenses erupted under the California sun. Pico stormed back and eventually took a 10-7 lead but unfortunately for Pico Elite, the Stingrays were down, but not out. With the game later tied at 13, Jonathan Fuentes launched a 270-foot rocket for a three-run triple, his third triple of the game over 250 feet long.

“It was definitely an exciting game” said Stingrays’ coach Larry Patino.

Although it was an offensive showcase, it was defense that won the game for the Stingrays. Tedokon approached the mound in the 5^th inning and struck out five of the last six batters he faced to end the game.

Written by: Nick Verhagen

Sport Manager: Matthew Carl