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For many young baseball players, the 2004 is only beginning with youth sign-ups and tryouts now under way.
But it's not the beginning for the 10-year-olds who play for the Fontanetti Yankees—they've already hit mid-season form.
In fact, even better than that, the Yanks are already champions. The local baseball squad, based out of the Almaden Valley, won the Super Series National Baseball Championship at a tournament held Dec. 27Jan. 2 in Glendale, Ariz.
The Yankees won three straight games in pool play and won again in the tourney quarterfinals before losing a game later. But the Yanks finished off the tournament with three straight wins—including back-to-back victories over the Southlake Dragons of Texas—to win the national 10 and under American Division championship.
Fontanetti's lost 12-2 to the Dragons in the semi's, but battled back to defeat the Desert Blaze of Arizona to get into the championship finals. The Yankees, though, would have to beat the Dragons two straight to win the national title. And that's just what they did.
The Yanks took the first game of the championship doubleheader 13-10, then battled from behind in the nightcap to pull out a thrilling 7-5 win.
The Dragons opened up a 5-1 lead after an inning, but the Yankees fought back to tie it 5-5 with four runs in the second. The locals went on from there to clinch the 7-5 victory and the national crown.
The Yanks had posted three wins in as many days in pool play, beating Corpus Christi Texas 19-2, the Arizona Patriots 20-3 and the High Desert Rattlers 76. Fontanetti's then topped the Orangevale Volcanoes 147 in the quarterfinals.
The loss to the Desert Blaze in the semifinals just set up the exciting doubleheader sweep against the Dragons in the finals.
"The Yankees were having a terrific time, singing and cheering for their fellow teammates," said manager Larry Walkley, Sr. "They stood at the dugout fence the entire game and made lots of noise."
Jake Raynaud and Jack Fordyce of Los Gatos were key members of the championship squad. Raynaud scored 12 runs, knocked in nine more and stole 15 bases to help the Yankees to the national crown, and Fordyce was the winning pitcher in the all-important first game of the championship doubleheader against the Dragons.
Earning special honors in the tournament were Larry Walkley, Jr., and Rafael Garcia. Walkley was named the tourney's Most Valuable Offensive Player, and Garcia was picked as the Most Valuable Defensive Player.
Along with Raynaud, Fordyce, Walkley, Jr. and Garcia, members of the national championship team included Alec Naki, Jordan Talbot, Grant Appelgren, Joey Shulman, Connor Morrison, Kevin Zhang, Clark Appelgren, David Rosas and Conner Jauch.
Mark Raynaud, a coach for the Yankees, is now looking for 10 and under baseball players in hopes of starting an all Los Gatos team to take the nationals next year. The team—the Golden State Pumas—will hold practices and play tournaments, but will not interfere with the Los Gatos Little League season, says Raynaud. For more information, contact Raynaud at m_raynaud@hotmail.com.
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