July 25, 2006

District 57 earns spot in final
Tri-Valley Herald

OLALLA, Wash. — District 57 advanced to the Big League West Regional championship game with a 15-8 win over Washington on Monday. District 57 must defeat Southern California twice today to earn the title.

The final games are scheduled for noon and 3 p.m., and if District 57 prevails it will earn a trip to the Big League World Series.

District 57 scored five runs in the first and third innings and held a comfortable lead throughout the game. Shane Reno blasted two home runs and drove in four runs.

Eric Barry went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs, while Danny Fonzi was 2-for-4 with a solo home run. Tommy McCormack made his lone hit count, belting a grand slam in the third inning.

Using four pitchers, District 57 was able to conserve its pitching for the title game. Dakota Laufenberg, Chris Ramirez and Joe Bogdan threw two innings each before Curtis Farmer closed out the game.

"We will need to keep our bats hitting (against Southern California)," said District 57 coach Mike Barry. "They are a very good team, so we have to get a lot of offense going. We've been able to save our pitching for (today), and if we keep playing like we have been we will be very competitive."