The Pacific Palisades Baseball Association’s Pony season came to an end last Saturday at the Palisades Recreation Center’s Field of Dreams’and the league’s final game didn’t disappoint. Pali Blue squared off against Santa Monica Red looking to extend its regular season success over its local rivals; Blue’s impressive 18-1-1 record featured two wins and a tie against SM Red. But Red jumped out to an early lead against Pali Blue ace Jonathan Sington, scoring five runs in the first, including a three-run home run to dead center by Fernando De La Torre. The Blue’s Jake Suddelson answered with a single to score Mike Vastano and Jack McGeagh in the bottom half to keep the game close, 5-2. Red’s early fireworks weren’t finished, though. Ramsey Casillas added his own two RBI single in the second, then De La Torre struck for another three-run blast in the third, giving Red a commanding 10-2 lead. Blue brought in Matt McGeagh in relief, and he retired the side in the top of the third, then scored on Jake Boyle’s single; in the fourth, Santa Monica loaded the bases, but McGeagh allowed only one run in. Pali got it right back after Travis Cox doubled and Shayan Soltani singled him home, keeping it at 11-4 at the end of four. Then Pali charged back and momentum started to shift, aided by a 6-4-3 double play involving Suddelson, Vastano and first basemen Louie Greenwald and Matt McGeagh’s solo homer to cap the fifth. The score stayed 11-5 until the bottom of the seventh, when the Blue bats came alive. Matt McGeagh started things with a one-out single, Suddelson singled him home, then Jake Boyle did the same to make it 11-7. Brendan Ward’s line drive triple scored Boyle, Travis Cox’s single plated Ward, and suddenly at 11-9, the Blue could taste extra innings. But the rally would fall just short. Greenwald’s towering fly ball to center looked destined to even the game, but died at the fence for the second out; Cox was then caught at second for the final out and Santa Monica escaped with an 11-9 victory. ’This was a great group of young men to coach,’ Blue manager Rick McGeagh said. ‘They were committed and had a lot of fun playing together. Our storybook season didn’t end as we’d hoped, but we will all carry many great memories.’ For the season, the Blue defense allowed only 76 runs in 23 games, led by Sington (15-2 record) and McGeagh in relief. Offensively, the Blues scored 213 runs (almost 10 per game), led by Matt McGeagh’s six home runs, .680 average and .786 on-base percentage. Suddelson (two home runs), Jack McGeagh and Vastano all hit better than .500, while Boyle was right behind with a .490 average and two homers; Max Marguleas also contributed throughout the season. The team was coached by McGeagh, Pat Vastano, David Greenwald, Eric Suddelson and Korosh Soltani. In the semis of the playoffs, the Blue faced off against Pali White, with Blue winning in five innings to advance to the final. The White side included Nick Rivera, one of the league’s most feared hitters, the steady fielding of Reece Pascoe at second and leadoff hitter Connor Page’s speed on the bases, as it finished in fourth place with a 10-9-1 record. On the mound, Aidan Fite, Nick Baron and Quinn McGinley led the rotation, with Vincent DeSantis and Jeffrey Ehlers supporting behind the plate at catcher. Meanwhile, Brendan Sanders and Andrew Stokes as corner infielders and outfielder Charlie Dillon all showed solid glove work throughout the season and stepped up to help replace Matthew Hepler, whose sore elbow forced him to the bench. Pali White was coached by Mike DeSantis and assisted by Ted McGinley, Mitch Stokes, Craig Ehlers and David Sanderson. Lastly, Pali Red, coached by Pete Sieling, finished in fifth (9-9-2) and was eliminated by White in the first round of the playoffs. Their roster included Charles Carr, Joseph Fasano, Jack Garacochea, Harrison Hart, Kevin Headrick, Hudson Ling, Tyler McMorrow, Kevin McNamee, Cameron Schiffer, Roben Sieling, Adam Stryer and Marko Trapani.
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