Sports

Crescenta Valley Heavy All-Star Squad on Brink of WS Berth

San Gabriel Valley Babe Ruth 18-under all-star baseball team one win from trip to Babe Ruth World Series.

After a wild weekend of play during the Pacific Southwest Regional tournament at Modesto Christian High School, the San Gabriel Valley Babe Ruth 18-under all-star baseball team stands just one win away from another trip to the Babe Ruth World Series in Ephrata, Wash., Aug. 6-13.

San Gabriel Valley plays the winner of Monday night’s contest between Modesto and Watsonville. Because San Gabriel Valley boasts a 3-0 record in the double-elimination tournament, Monday’s winner will have to beat San Gabriel Valley twice to take the title.

If necessary the second game will take place 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. 

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San Gabriel Valley advanced to Tuesday’s finals via a dramatic 2-1 victory over Watsonville on Sunday night. That win game one day after 1-0 nail biter against Modesto, and two days after Crescenta Valley’s Kyle Murray pitched the team to a 6-0 win over San Bruno in its tournament opener.

“We’ve pitched real well,” said San Gabriel Valley coach Phil Torres, who also is head coach of the Falcons varsity baseball team. “We’ve played really good defense. We’ve snuck out a couple.”

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Four other players from Crescenta Valley join Torres and Murray on the team: Troy Mulcahey, Cam Silva, Elliot Surrey and Ted Boeke. The rest of the team is made up of players from the San Gabriel Valley Senior Babe Ruth League and includes other area stars such as Arcadia pitcher KJ Edson and St. Francis graduate Mark Saatzer.

This tournament marks the first time many on the team have played together, but despite the unfamiliarity, the squad has gelled quickly.

Not that success should come as a surprise for a San Gabriel Valley all-star team. Phil Torres has led four different teams to the Babe Ruth World Series, three of which went on to win a championship.

Torres said the SGV all-stars’ past results are a testament to the overall strength of the league.

“It’s been fun we’ve taken four teams to the World Series,” said Torres, who played for SGV in 1979 and 1980. “We won three of them. It’s always fun. … It’s a really strong league. It’s just a matter of getting kids to commit to it.”


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