Tiger Zach "Meat" Donovan goes yard for his first home run during the 2017 Carson City Little League City Championship, Governor's Field, Carson City, Nevada
The Tigers dropped just one game in winning the Carson City Little League Major Division regular-season championship, and they were just as impressive in the playoffs.
Pitcher Pedro Oropeza tossed a three-hitter, and Zach Donovan and Lance Hornemann drove in two runs apiece to lead the Tigers to a 12-2 mercy rule win over the Twins on Friday night at Governors Field.
The game was stopped with two outs in the bottom of the fourth on the 10-run rule.
“They were great,” coach Robert Glenn said. “Every kid had a great attitude the whole season. All 12 kids on the team were leaders.
“We did beat them during the season. I expected them to play us real tough.”
The Tigers finished 16-1, including the playoffs.
The Tigers started fast, scoring two in the first on singles by Yaki Glenn, an infield hit by Hornemann, an error and a double by Daniel Fitch, who went 3-for-3 on the day.
The Twins, who went out quietly in the first, bounced back to tie the game in the second.
Kai Miller reached on an infield single and moved to third when Matt Mendoza’s flyball was dropped in right field. Parker Maldanado followed with a two-run single to left. Oropeza settled down, retiring three of the next four hitters.
The winners batted around in the third, scoring four runs on six hits for a 6-2 lead.
Nolan Pederson was hit with a pitch and Donovan followed with a homer to left-center field. Nate McKee singled to right. The ball was misplayed, but McKee tried to go all the way to third and was thrown out. Glenn followed with a single and advanced to third on Tyler Palmer’s single. Palmer took second on the throw back to the infield. Both runners scored on Hornemann’s single to left. Fitch followed with another double, but both runners were stranded when Edgar Fausto popped to first.
The barrage continued in the third when Robert Berger reached on an error, was wild pitched around to third and scored on McKee’s single. A walk and error accounted for the last two runs of the inning and a 9-2 lead.
Quinten Beck came on in the fourth and yielded Fitch’s third double of the contest. Fitch moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Trevor Britt’s infield out to make it 10-2. Berger singled, stole second and scored when Donovan’s dribbler was thrown away at first. McKee walked and moved to second on Yaki Glenn’s single. Palmer followed with a bounder up the middle, forcing Glenn but scoring Donovan to end the contest.
Fitch and Glenn each had three hits while Hornemann and McKee added two each.
Oropeza fanned nine, walked one and hit a batter.
Miller had two hits and Maldanado added one.
