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Laubach wins pitchers duel
Diamondbacks are regular season Pony champions
By Dick Sparrer
It was a classic pitchers duel in the tradition of Randy Johnson vs. Kevin Brown ... Pedro Martinez vs. Roger Clemens.
But it wasn't a match-up in Major League Baseball--it was right here in the Los Gatos Pony League.
Nick Perrone of the Giants and Russell Laubach of the A's locked up in what turned out to be a pitching masterpiece that the A's won when Laubach himself scored the game's only run.
Laubach went the distance to toss a three-hit shutout, striking out four and scattering the three singles over the seven-inning span.
Perrone was stuck with the heartbreaking loss despite firing a one-hitter and striking out seven. And as it turned out, the one hit he allowed--a third-inning single by Kevin Bakken--had nothing to do with the A's run.
Laubach walked in the fourth and ended up scoring on a sacrifice by Matt Martini.
That was all Laubach needed. He continued to throw zeroes at the Giants and ended up the winner. He was touched for singles by Dave Holtzman in the first, Ken Rodriguez in the sixth and Jarret Kasper in the seventh, but those were the only hits he would allow.
The A's would come back to crush the Giants 19-2 a few days later and beat the Mets 7-2, but it wasn't enough to get them a piece of the regular season championship in the Pony circuit. That honor went to the Diamondbacks, who finished strong with three straight wins to wrap up a 12-8 season.
The D'backs downed the Yankees 10-1 and two-timed the Mets 8-1 and 14-3 to clinch first place in the regular season. The A's and Mariners tied for second with matching 11-9 records.
The Diamondbacks clinched first place with the 10-1 win over the Yanks on June 5. Jeremy Bays, Michael Robards, Josh Micelli and Nathan Swartley combined to flip a five-hitter for the win.
Robards singled twice to drive in three runs in the win. Ben Walker singled and doubled and Swartley had two hits. Patrick McDonald doubled and Paul Elias, Trevor Dill, Chris Cuthbert and Micelli each singled.
Eric Brown had two hits for the Yankees and Matt Hirakawa, Jesse Barron and Mark Helleboid each singled.
Two days earlier, Kyle Jensen and McDonald teamed to toss a one-hitter in the D'Backs' 8-1 win over the Mets. Jensen gave up a run and two hits and struck out three over four innings to get the win, and McDonald flipped three innings on no-hit, no-run relief.
Cuthbert, Bays and Brady Griffiths each doubled and McDonald singled in the win.
Brett Davis and Andrew Ford each singled for the Mets.
Bays blasted a two-run homer in the first inning to lead the Diamondbacks to a 14-3 win over the Mets.
Robards had a triple to go with three singles and Nick Gionfriddo had four hits in the win. Bays homered and doubled and Swartley, Micelli, Jensen and Griffiths added hits.
McDonald tossed five innings to get the win, fanning four and allowing five hits.
Davis doubled twice for the Mets, Andrew Silva singled and doubled and Jadd Correia had two hits. Ford and Wes Piper also singled in the game.
The A's finished in a tie for second place with two wins over the Giants and one over the Mets.
After edging the Giants 1-0 on the gem by Laubach, the A's came back to blast the Giants 19-2, ending the game in six innings with a 12-run rally in the sixth.
A two-run triple by Danny Bates and singles by Kyle Bergland, Mark Johnson and Brian Dressman sparked the big rally in the sixth.
Laubach ripped a three-run homer in the fifth and also singled, and Dressman had two hits. Ryan Bersano cracked a two-run double and Bakken and Martini also had hits.
Rishi Satia tossed five innings to get the win, striking out seven and allowing four hits.
Laubach went the distance to toss a five-hitter in the 7-2 win over the Mets. Laubach struck out six and walked two.
Johnson singled and doubled for the A's in the win and Martini had two hits. Laubach doubled and Bakken, Dressman, Bates and Adam Hudson had singles.
Piper, Greg Adrouny, Jordan Senner, Brian Wendt and Davis each singled for the Mets.
The Mariners also finished strong, but a tough 5-2 loss to the Yankees cost them a share of first place in the regular season.
The Yanks scored four runs in the first and made that stand up for the win over the Mariners. A two-run single by J.P. Grist was the big hit in the rally. Kevin McCarty had opened the game with a single.
Helleboid had two hits for the Yanks and Barron doubled.
Nat Henry singled and doubled for the Mariners. Eric Rollin doubled and Mark Ericson and Jason Livingstone each singled.
Livingstone struck out 12 and allowed just one hit over six innings to get the mound win in the Mariners' 5-2 victory over the Yankees.
Livingstone helped his cause at the plate with two triples and a single and Ericson and Emerson Dinapoli each singled and doubled. Travis Livingstone added a single and a squeeze bunt, Henry doubled and Rollin singled home two runs.
Liam Smith and Grist each singled in the loss for the Yankees.
T. Livingstone had three hits and Henry doubled and singled to lead the Mariners to an 11-4 win over the Giants. J. Livingstone had two hits, Jeff Collins doubled, and Rollin, Dinapoli, Chad Carl and Matt Agranion each singled.
J. Livingstone went the distance for the win, fanning eight and allowing eight hits.
Perrone doubled twice for the Giants, and Jason Lasswell, Holtzman and Bret Hampton had two hits each in the loss.
Final regular season Pony League standings: Diamondbacks 12-8, Mariners 11-9, A's 11-9, Mets 10-10, Giants 9-11, Yankees 6-14.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
