The Cupertino Courier

Sports

Crumlin helps Pony all-stars get within a game of Series

By MIKE BARNHART

Three talented 12-year-olds closed out a successful all-star baseball season recently, as their team came within one game of the Pony Bronco World Series.

Mike Crumlin, Jr., of Cupertino and Sunnyvale residents Kevin Zhang and Luke Weichec played major roles in the success of the Titans, a group of select players representing the Los Altos/Mountain View Pony Baseball League's Bronco division. The Titans captured sectional and regional championships and won their first three games at the West Zone tournament, but a North Seattle squad upended them twice and earned the West berth in the World Series.

The Titans won six of seven games during the sectional tourney at San Jose's Hammer School, including two in a row over San Jose Pacific for the local crown.

Crumlin, the starting catcher and a powerful hitter throughout the postseason with eight of his team's 14 home runs, crushed three in the team's first game, a 17-0 shellacking of the Morgan Hill Gray. Zhang, who played shortstop and pitched for the Titans, drove in three runs and scored one from his leadoff spot in the batting order. Two games later, first baseman Weichec belted the first of his three all-star round-trippers.

Neither a record-breaking heat wave nor any part of the eight-team field could slow the Titans down during the Northern California Regional in Brentwood. Enduring temperatures of more than 100 degrees (some afternoon games were postponed as the mercury got as high as 121), the Titans toppled Diablo Valley 11-1, Morgan Hill 10-1 and Santa Clara 4-2, before squaring off again with Santa Clara under the lights for the regional championship. Crumlin homered in his first at-bat, keying an 8-3 triumph.

The trio continued to excel as the Titans' winning streak continued at the West Zone championship tournament in Whittier.

Weichec, a student at The King's Academy Junior High, homered in the West Zone opener, a 5-3 victory over Mililani of Hawaii. Zhang, who impressed with a 1.94 earned run average in 10 all-star mound appearances, closed out game two, earning a save in a 4-3 decision over North Seattle. Crumlin homered in the next game, a 9-6 win over Bakersfield.

Unfortunately for the locals, North Seattle rallied in the consolation bracket of the double-elimination affair and reached the championship game. The Washington team whipped the Titans twice, 7-0 and 12-2, claiming the right to move on to the Bronco World Series in Monterey.

Crumlin and Zhang, students at Cupertino Middle School, combined to score 45 of 112 runs for the Titans, who finished its amazing all-star run with a 13-3 record.