Mustang Phillies and Bronco Red Sox Also Prevail in PPBA Deciding Games

Facing a must-win situation for the first time all season, the Pinto Red Sox played like champions last Thursday afternoon at the Palisades Recreation Center’s Field of Dreams. When it was finally over, they were champions. The Red Sox defeated the Phillies 12-3 to complete one of the most dominant seasons in Palisades Pony Baseball Association history, especially in the youngest age group (7 & 8-year-olds). “It was scary because I knew whoever wins today wins the whole thing,” said eight-year-old Caroline Douglas, Red Sox second baseman and a student at St. Matthew’s. “I wasn’t sure we’d win but I’m happy we did.” The Red Sox rolled through the regular season and playoffs like a freight train, entering Wednesday’s finals with a 18-2 record. Then Jason Reese’s Phillies–who dealt the Sox one of their two losses–used timely hitting and stout defense to win 3-1 and force an extra game. On Thursday, however, the Red Sox got back to doing what they do best–score runs. It began in the second inning when Nick Massey’s bases-loaded single plated two. Ahead 6-3 in the sixth, Alexander Hurley and Ari Sallas each had RBI hits to ignite another rally. When Douglas fielded a ground ball and tossed it to Shane Skelly at first base for the final out, the celebration began. “This is a perfect ending to a three-month journey,” Coach Mark Skelly said. “We had so much depth. I give the Phillies credit, though. They matched us defensively. We only lost three times and two of those were to them.” Three Pinto Red Sox–Caroline Douglas, Joe Suddleson and Andrew Sington–had older siblings (Matt Douglas, Jake Suddleson and Jonathan Sington) playing for the Bronco Red Sox, who won the championship 20 minutes later. Mustang (Ages 9-10) Winning championships is becoming, well, old hat for William Winkenhower. The Corpus Christi School 10-year-old won his third PPBA title in four seasons last Thursday when the Phillies, coached by Mike Bennett, shook off a loss the previous day to beat the Dodgers 8-3. Winkenhower won with the Tigers his first year in Pinto, lost in extra innings in the finals with the Dodgers the next year and won the Mustang Division with the Cubs last season. “I like them all the same–they’ve all been fun,” he said of his multiple PPBA titles. “This year we weren’t doing our best until we started really hitting and fielding well before the playoffs.” Winkenhower doubled to open the game, then Colin Enzer singled to drive him in. The Phillies led 3-0 after one inning and 5-3 after three innings thanks to Jeff Stuart, who was pitching for the first time in the playoffs. Winkenhower threw shutout ball the rest of the way. The Dodgers won 11-9 in extra innings last Wednesday to force a rematch the following afternoon. They staved off elimination three times in the playoffs thanks to pitchers Jason Starrels and Zach Lynch. Bronco (Ages 11-12) Hugh Dodson’s Red Sox avenged an earlier playoff defeat to Korosh Soltani’s Cardinals, winning the decisive game 17-5 in four innings. Jonah Jacobson had two singles and scored a run, Connor Page singled and scored, Jasper Shorr and Ryan Bostick scored runs, Henry Fillo hit a long drive to center field and P.J. Hurst made a diving catch in center field for the Cardinals, who drew even in the second inning. “Our hitting improved, from top to bottom our lineup came alive,” Red Sox assistant coach Eric Suddleson said. “These last four or five games we really pulled it all together. It seemed like everyone made a big play.” Matt Douglas and Alec Dodson each pitched two innings for the Red Sox. Mac Bradley bunted and ended up on third base, one of many wacky plays in a first inning that saw the teams combine to score nine runs. Jonathan Sington and Douglas each scored three times, Dylan Joyce made a running catch in left field with the bases loaded in the fourth inning and Charlie Carr smacked the game-ending single that scored Bradley. Douglas had clouted two home runs in the Red Sox’ thrilling 6-5 victory Wednesday, which set up the winner-take-all second game. Pony (Ages 13-14) All three Pacific Palisades teams won their playoff openers last weekend and two are still alive in the postseason tournament. Pali Blue won its first game on Saturday, as Brett Elder and Matt Comisar combined for a no-hitter in a 16-1 thumping of the Metro Pirates. Sam Wasserman was a terror at the plate, clubbing three home runs. Blue faced the Cheviot Hills Red Wings on Tuesday (results undetermined at press time). Pali Red outscored the Cheviot Hills Sidewinders 7-6 Saturday in Santa Monica. Justin Ruder pitched five innings and Jack Jordan pitched the final two in relief. Hagen Smith made several key defensive plays at second base to keep his team in the game. Pali Red played second-place Santa Monica Blue on Wednesday (results unavailable at press time). Pali White won its first game by forfeit on Saturday but lost 6-3 the following day to Metro 3.

It was no cause for concern when Che Borja and Kramer Waltke learned they would be playing a team from Granada Hills in the City Individual doubles final Monday afternoon. Why would it be? The Dolphins’ duo had already vanquished Granada Hills’ No. 3 and No. 2 teams, so it was only right they should get a crack at the Highlanders’ top tandem with the championship on the line. The match played out much like the team finals last month: a resounding victory for Palisades that settled all debate over who is the best now and who figures to be the best in years to come. “It’s a different feeling than winning the team title because that required a lot of help from our teammates but this is all about us,” Borja said after the 6-4, 6-0 triumph at Balboa Sports Center in Encino. “I’m proud of us for keeping our focus throughout the tournament and getting better and better each match.” Seeded fourth, the Palisades pair set the tone early against third-seeded Dom Plata and Aaron Goodwein, who had upset the Dolphins’ second-seeded Spencer Lewin and Spencer Pekar in the semifinals. “That’s a good team they played,” Palisades Coach Bud Kling said. “We got ahead early but the other kids caught up at 4-all. They played well, we just played a little better.” The key to the match was the Dolphins’ return of serve. They broke Plata to win the first set, Waltke followed with a love service game and they eventually broke three more times–breaking the Highlanders’ spirit in the process. “I thought we had a good shot [of making the finals] if we kept our poise,” said Waltke, a junior who will return next year to lead the Dolphins’ bid to repeat as team champions. “It would’ve been a little tougher playing our own teammates today because we know them and they know us so well.” Lewin and Pekar, meanwhile, ousted yet another Granada Hills tandem in the third-place match, 6-1, 6-4. Rarely does Kling pair a freshman like Pekar with a senior as seasoned as Lewin but it proved to be an effective union. “We have great chemistry together,” Pekar said. “He’s got a great net game, I’ve got a great baseline game so we complement each other well.” Playing William Chung and Aaron Kim, an unseeded team that had upset Palisades’ top-seeded Jeremy Shore and Kyung Choi earlier in the tournament, Lewin and Pekar stayed consistent and let their opponents make the mistakes. Lewin had overcome a severe case of mono to return to the lineup in time for the team playoffs and was stricken with strep throat in the days leading up to the Individual final. No illness, however, could prevent him from winning his final high school match. “We’re both Spencers so I guess it makes sense that we’re partners,” said Lewin, who is headed for UC Santa Barbara. “We were confident we’d win if we stuck to our strategy but we knew they beat our No. 1 team so we couldn’t take them lightly.”

Palisadians Lead Comeback as Eagles Take Third Tennis Title in Four Years

Walker Kehrer and Casey Grindon have played many pressure-packed tennis matches at Brentwood. However, neither had been part of a comeback quite like last week’s Southern Section Division II final against San Marino at The Claremont Club. The Eagles won the last five sets to even the match at 9-9. Total games were counted to determine a winner but the teams remained tied at 75 apiece. So the players took the courts again for a series of tiebreakers and finally, after three and a half hours, Brentwood prevailed 12-6 for its second straight CIF championship and third in four years. Senior co-captains, Kehrer and Grindon not only led their school to victory, the Pacific Palisades pair also shared a piece of history by winning championships in three different CIF divisions in their four years on varsity. Kehrer surprised the team by announcing he’d be in the lineup for the first time in weeks following a shoulder injury and he did his part in regulation, winning two of his three doubles sets. Grindon and his partner Caleb Baer did the same, then beat the Titans’ top duo of Nick Chang and Lestter Yeh for the clinching tiebreaker point. Brentwood has reached 11 straight section finals. The victory added an exclamation point to Kehrer’s high school career. A highly-ranked junior player in the boys 18s, he is headed for Stanford.

There is no substitute for experience, especially when it comes to triathlons, perhaps the most physically demanding of all sports. One local athlete is learning that lesson the hard way–and loving it. Tristan Marsh, a seventh-grader at Paul Revere Middle School, took first place in the 13-15 age group and 22nd overall out of 220 participants at the Bonelli Lakes Triathlon in San Dimas last Sunday. A standout in the Will Rogers Beach Junior Lifeguard program, Marsh completed the Tri-Express distance (300-meter swim, 13.5-kilometer bike ride and 5K run) in 58 minutes, 27 seconds. He is coached by Pacific Palisades resident Ian Murray, who was named USA Triathlon’s Developmental Coach of the Year in 2006.

Learn About Tennis from the Experts at Free Presentation on Sunday in Village

In addition to having one of the best tennis programs in the country the Palisades Tennis Center, located smack dab in the center of town, is a frontrunner in promoting its sport. Over the past 12 years PTC owner Steve Bellamy and his staff have attracted numerous pros and celebrities to the public courts off of Alma Real. Bellamy is also largely responsible for tennis’ accessibility through cable television. He co-owned and ran The Tennis Channel for eight years before leaving to start The Ski Channel, which launched last Christmas. This weekend the PTC is going outside the box again with its first annual Junior Summit–where people can come to learn everything there is to know about a sport that can last a lifetime. “Tennis is an incredible gift for kids but it’s somewhat complicated if you’re on the outside looking in,” Bellamy said. “It’s a sport kids can learn at age 4 and still be playing at 94, but on the surface it isn’t as simple as Little League or AYSO. The purpose of this summit is to distill the 100 plus years of knowledge we have at the tennis center into a short presentation to help parents and kids truly understand the paradigm.” The summit will be held at 881 Alma Real, Terrace 8 in the Atonal Entertainment headquarters this Sunday from 4-5 p.m. There will be food and drinks, ping pong, shuffleboard, bumper pool, video games and other fun activities after the presentation. Many PTC pros will be present to talk to players, parents and private coaches for one-on-one advice. “Although consumers will be able to sign up for tennis camps and clinics, this presentation isn’t really about promoting the PTC or even tennis for that matter,” PTC staffer Abe Diaz said. “It’s simply about helping parents and juniors understand all the aspects of tennis.” Does high school tennis have anything to do with junior tournament tennis? What is a proper diet for tennis players? How many hours should one spend practicing? These questions and more will be answered. Topics of discussion will include when to start playing tennis, what tournaments to play, what the professional tour is like, what college and high school programs are like and how young men and women go about getting scholarships. Learn how to be a good tennis parent, why a two-handed backhand can reduce the risk of injury and how professionals really earn a living. If you’re a tennis player yourself, have a child you want to introduce to the sport or are merely curious you won’t want to miss this free presentation. In 1997, not long after the PTC opened, Jimmy Connor played a friendly exhibition match against Pacific Palisades’ own John Lloyd with Martin Short as the emcee to raise money for a child whose father was slain. The next big event was in 1999 when two-time U.S. Open winner Patrick Rafter played fellow pro Jan-Michael Gambill as part of a Prince-sponsored clinic. In 2006, Mike and Bob Bryan, America’s top doubles duo, headlined an afternoon of fun billed as “Racquets, Stars and Guitars,” an event which attracted 35 celebrities and pro tennis players to collect sports equipment and toys for underprivileged children. Last year, the PTC hosted its most innovative event yet, the world’s first-ever pro Shotgun 21 tournament, pitting some of the game’s top male and female players against each other in a drop-hit, let serve format. That day, visitors got watch pros like John Isner, Tommy Haas, Alex Bogomolov and Sam Querrey play tennis. For more information about Sunday’s Junior Summit call (310) 230-2050 or 310-573-1331.

It should be a patriotic postseason for the Palisades Pony Baseball Association’s 13- & 14-year-olds. Pali Red, Pali White and Pali Blue have all advanced to this Saturday’s Pony Division playoffs. Playing in a 14-team league that includes teams from Cheviot Hills, Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach and East Los Angeles, Pali White (13-5-1) and Pali Blue (13-5-2) ended the season tied for third behind Santa Monica’s Red and Blue squads. Led by ace pitcher Jackson Bantle, an eighth-grader at Corpus Christi who is headed for Loyola High, Pali White had won two previous meetings over Pali Blue by 11-0 and 8-6 scores heading into last Friday night’s showdown at the Field of Dreams. Palisades High-bound Jackson Nethercot homered twice in the first inning to propel Pali Blue in a 25-3 rout. Teammate Sam Wasserman, also on his way to Palisades High, has hit 11 home runs this season, including two in last Saturday’s season finale at Santa Monica White. Pali Red, coached by PPBA board member Dave Kahn, is led by the powerful swinging of Palisades High-bound Jack Jordan and Loyola-bound Hagen Smith. Red finished the regular season at 8-10-1. Mustang (Ages 9-10) The Phillies, coached by Mike Bennett, swept through the winner’s bracket with victories over the Cardinals, Red Sox and Yankees to move within one victory of the championship. After a late-season surge the Phillies almost lost in the first round of the postseason tournament. Colin Enzer hit a game-tying home run in the sixth inning and the Phillies finally prevailed 9-8 three innings later thanks to clutch pitching by Luke Bennett, who then picked up a save in the team’s 12-8 victory over the Red Sox. Pitcher William Winkenhower led the way in the winner’s bracket final with 10 strikeouts in four innings of a 8-4 win over the Yankees. He also helped his own cause at the plate, hitting the first pitch of the game for a home run. The Phillies came into Wednesday’s final undefeated in the double-elimination format, meaning they would win the title with a victory. A loss yesterday to Tuesday’s Dodgers-Yankees winner would set up a deciding game today at 4:30 p.m. on Diamond 2. Thanks to the pitching of Jason Starrels and Zach Lynch, the Dodgers staved off elimination for the third time with a 7-4 win over the Cardinals. Julia Broudy kept the Cardinals close with two and a third innings of shutout pitching. Bronco (Ages 11-12) The Yankees (14-6) finished in first-place in the American League standings while the Cubs (11-9) won the National League pennant. Both teams, however, suffered two playoff losses and were eliminated. The third-place Red Sox rebounded from an opening-round loss to reach Tuesday’s consolation final where they met the second-place Phillies. Waiting for the winner were the surprising Cardinals (9-11), who got hot at the right time, winning their last two regular season games. Then, in the playoffs, they got by the Cubs 10-9, routed the Orioles 14-5 and trounced the Red Sox 18-7 to emerge from the winner’s bracket. If the Red Sox-Phillies winner beat the Cardinals yesterday, a decisive game will be needed to decide the championship today at 4:30 p.m. on Diamond 2. Pinto (Ages 7-8) After a near-perfect regular season the juggernaut Red Sox have continued their dominance in the playoffs. Coached by Mark Skelly, the Red Sox won three playoff games over the Dodgers, Cubs and Phillies by a combined score of 30-11 for a remarkable 18-2 record, awaiting the winner of Tuesday’s consolation bracket winner (either the Phillies or Orioles). The Red Sox needed to win yesterday to wrap up one of the most impressive runs in PPBA history. A loss would mean a winner-take-all game today at 4:30 p.m. on Diamond 4. The Phillies finished atop the National League while the Orioles were third in the American League behind the Red Sox and Tigers. Shane Skelly and Alexander Hurley were selected as Pinto All-Stars. Skelly and Charley Wadler were chosen the team’s most valuable players and Ari Sallus and Joe Suddleson were voted most improved. Wadler and Skelly each had over 50 hits in the regular season and each had seven postseason hits entering Wednesday’s game. Seven-year-old rookie Andrew Sington belted a team-leading six triples and Nick Plummer had the most game-winning hits. Going into Wednesday’s game the Red Sox had scored a whopping 248 runs (most in the league) and allowed only 124 (least given up in the league). They won 15 out of 17 games in the regular season, including 14 in a row. Closing ceremonies, which include awards to World Series winners, sportsmanship honors and all-star team announcements, are Saturday at 9 a.m. on Diamond 1. Look for complete championship coverage in next week’s issue.

Standing on the runway with her pole firmly in front of her, Camille Liberatore took a deep breath and sprinted towards history. She made it a few seconds later when she crashed to the mat after twisting her body up and over the bar positioned horizontally 10 feet above the ground. It was all in a day’s work for the Palisades High senior, the only finalist to clear that height on her way to winning the girls’ varsity pole vault last Thursday at the City Section Track & Field Finals in Lake Balboa. Junior Erika Martin finished second in two events, senior Mariah Fisher was runner-up in the girls’ high jump and the Dolphins finished fourth overall in the girls’ team competition. Practically all of the 15 athletes Palisades sent to the meet set personal records, making this one of the school’s most successful trips to the finals in years. Martin competed in four events and came within fractions of winning the long jump and 100-meter hurdles. She leaped 17′ 9 3/4″ in the long jump, bested only by Crenshaw senior Xzanthnice Bourgeois? winning mark of 17′ 10.” Martin appeared headed for victory in the hurdles only to be passed on the final hurdle by Taft’s Pia Hill, who won by 13 hundreths of a second. Martin was seventh in the 100 meters and in her final event–the 300 hurdles–she placed fourth. “It’s not like I wasn’t trying [in the long jump], it’s just that I knew I had to conserve energy for the other events,” Martin said. “I’m new at this and at first I didn’t know how to adjust to the wind at my back.” Despite missing valuable training because of foot injuries junior Carlos Bustamante was determined to finish in the top three in the mile and earn a trip to the state meet like he did last year. Trying to match a fast pace, Bustamante was in the hunt the whole race but was unable to catch leaders Pablo and Danny Rosales of San Pedro and Granada Hills’ Javert Solorzano. Still, it was hard to be disappointed about a time of 4:23.63, his personal best and nearly three full seconds faster than his state qualifying time last spring. “I know [defending City champion] Pablo Rosales likes to set the pace, that’s what he usually does,” Bustamante said. “I just didn’t have the kick but if I was 100 percent I could’ve caught them. I guess I’m satisfied. It’s hard to be too disappointed with a PR.” Following in the footsteps of her older brother Bryan, who was a two-time City champion for the Dolphins, Jamie Greenberg won the frosh/soph pole vault with a height of nine feet. Tenth-grader Kolmus Iheanacho surprised even himself by winning the frosh/soph shot put with a personal-best throw of 48′ 5.” “It’s a balance of strength and technique,” said Iheanacho, who hopes to play linebacker for the Dolphins’ football team in the fall. “I like it because it really helps me on shifting my power and hjp maneuvers.” Eric Lopez won an exciting frosh/soph 800 meter race, coming on at the end to beat Taft’s Nicholas Ray in a personal-best 2:01.60. ?I felt tight the whole first lap. I started out in Lane 2 but I didn’t want to get boxed in so I moved over to Lane 3. I kept thinking this is what I’ve been building towards all season. I have Coach [Ron] Brumel to thank for pushing me.”