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Mariners beat D'Backs in Pony tournament
By Dick Sparrer
The Diamondbacks had every intention of backing up a regular season championship with another title in the Los Gatos Pony League tournament.
But it seems that the Mariners had other ideas.
The Mariners beat the D'Backs twice in the league tournament, including a thrilling 6-5 win to clinch the title.
The Mariners beat the Yankees 13-2 and the Diamondbacks 13-2 to move into the finals. The D'Backs, who had opened with a 9-8 win over the Mets, had to fight back with a 9-8 win over the A's to get back into the championship round, but lost the heartbreaker to the Mariners in the title game.
The Diamondbacks seemed to be in control, leading 5-3 heading into the bottom of the sixth. But the Livingstone brothers got the Mariners going.
Jason Livingstone opened the sixth with a double and, after Nat Henry walked, he raced home on a single by Travis Livingstone to cut the lead to 5-4.
The runners moved up on a wild pitch before Eric Rollin singled home Henry to tie the game. Chad Corl then knocked in the lead run with a single.
Rollin took the hill in relief of J. Livingstone in the seventh and he put down the Diamondbacks one-two-three to clinch the win.
Livingstone went six strong innings to get the win, striking out six and scattering nine hits. Rollin faced just three batters to get the save.
T. Livingstone, Mike Brienzo, Corl and Mark Ericson had two hits each in the game for the Mariners. Brienzo, Corl and J. Livingstone each doubled.
The Mariners had jumped out to a 3-0 lead with a three-run rally in the second. T. Livingstone opened the frame with a single and advanced when Rollin reached on an error. Corl doubled home a run and Brieno singled in two more.
The Diamondbacks, though, battled back.
Jeremy Bays reached on an error to open the fourth and raced to third on a single by Chris Cuthbert. Nathan Swartley singled Bays home.
The D'Backs took the lead with four runs in the fifth. Josh Miceli singled and romped to third on a single by Mike Robards. After Robards swiped second, Patrick McDonald singled to drive both runners home. Ben Walker single McDonald to third, then stole second. Nathan Swartley followed with a single to drive both runners home.
McDonald and Swartley each had two hits for the Diamondbacks.
The Mariners had sent the Diamondbacks to the tournament's loser's bracket with a 13-2 win three days earlier.
Brienzo ripped a three-run double to spark a five-run rally in the second, and a two-run double by Henry keyed a nine-run outburst in the fifth for the Mariners.
Emerson Dinapoli, Rollin, Ericson and Henry each singled and doubled for the winners, and J. Livingstone had two hits. T. Livingstone also singled for the Mariners.
Miceli singled in a two-run rally in the first that gave the Diamondbacks a 2-0 lead early.
The Diamondbacks fought back with a tough 9-8 win in nine innings over the A's on June 20 to get into the title game.
The clubs were locked in a 7-7 tie through eight innings before the A's broke the tie in the top of the ninth. Rishi Satia singled and scored on a single to Michael Carmell to break the tie, but the Diamondbacks battled back with two in the bottom of the ninth to win it.
Bays ripped a two-out single, and two runs ultimately scored when McDonald reached on an error.
The Diamondbacks were cruising along with a 6-2 lead heading into the seventh, but the A's wouldn't quit.
Singles by Brian Dressman and Kyle Bergland sparked a five-run rally that gave the A's a 7-6 lead.
The D'Backs had to battle from behind in the home half of the seventh just to tie it. And they did when Robards singled and scored on a double by Bays.
Bays singled and doubled in the win for the D'Backs. Cuthbert doubled and McDonald, Robards and Walker each singled.
Danny Bates, Adam Hudson, Dressman and Bergland each had two hits for the A's, and Satia and Carmell each singled.
The loss eliminated the A's from the tournament. Up to that point, it had been the A's eliminating other teams from the field.
The A's lost 6-2 to the Yankees in the tournament opener, but they came back to eliminate the Mets with a 10-7 win and the Yankees with a 6-3 victory.
Mark Johnson and Bergland each singled in a four-run first and Matt Martini and Dressman each ripped two-run singles in a five-run third to lead the A's to the win over the Mets.
Dressman doubled and singled twice in the win Johnson and Bergland had two hits apiece. Satia and Martini also had hits in the win.
Russell Laubach went the distance for the mound win, scattering nine hits and striking out five.
Jadd Correia belted a solo homer in the fifth and finished the day with four hits. Wendt doubled and singled twice, Danny Politi doubled and Brett Davis singled.
The Mets beat the Giants 2-1, but lost to the D'Backs 9-8 before falling to the A's.
Satia tossed six and a third innings for the win and Dressman came on to get the save in the A's 6-3 win over the Yankees. Satia also doubled and singled in the win.
Bates tripled and singled and stole three bases for the A's. Bergland ripped a double and Kevin Bakken singled.
Matt Hirakawa had two hits for the Yanks and Kevin McCarty, Jesse Barron, J.P. Grist, Mark Helleboid and Clint Lid each singled. Charlie Self ripped a sacrifice fly.
The Yanks had lost 13-2 to the Mariners but beat the Giants 15-2 before losing to the A's.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
