For two weeks, the scrappy Point Loma Little League All-Stars played in the district play-offs only to reach the championship game and lose to favorite Coronado 5-4.
“Our team played with a lot of spirit throughout the entire tournament,” Point Loma Little League All Star coach Debbie Ament said.
The championship game was forced after Point Loma defeated Coronado 4-2 and avoided elimination thanks to Jake La Dow’s complete game. Point Loma went to the District Finals in 2005 and lost to Clairemont Mesa in the championship game. No Point Loma All-Star team has made it as far as this year’s team since the 1962 district champions.
Point Loma appeared to be on its way to the championship game with dominant performances in its first three games. The All Stars defeated Scripps Ranch 8-2 as Campbell Wear pitched his first of two complete games and crushed Rancho Penasquitos 13-3 before the mercy-rule was enforced in the 4th inning. Jackson Leslie pitched a complete game against Rancho Penasquitos and then had the game-winning hit in a 2-1 victory over Rancho Penasquitos South.
Point Loma and Coronado entered their first game at 3-0, but Coronado came out on top 7-3. The All Stars bounced back on Wear’s second complete game with a 10-1 win over Clairemont Mesa.
“Our boys never stopped cheering each other on. In the first loss to Coronado, we were down 7-3 late in the game, but they wouldn’t give up,” Ament said.
The Point Loma Little League All Star team is made up of 11- and 12-year-olds and the district tournament consisted of 32 teams.
The players on the 2006 team included: Ryan Ament, Luke Arnell, Justin Baker, Kap Davis, Nathan Hoppe, Campbell Irvine, Jake La Dow, Blake Lee, Jackson Leslie, AJ Lira, Graham Scribner, Jeff Shutt, Campbell Wear and Sach Wood.