Photo Submitted by: Chris Maher

The Orinda Pinto (8U) All Stars captured the Dale Wilson Memorial Baseball Tournament held July 1-5 in San Bruno. Going a convincing 3-0 in pool play and scoring 50 runs, the hard-hitting all-stars served notice that they were the team to beat. The Orinda All-Stars allowed only 20 runs over six tournament games while scoring 82 in the same span.

On Monday, Orinda had to first get past a perennially tough San Mateo team in the semi-finals. With the help of clutch RBI doubles from AJ Fraser, Hayden Catron and Declan Curran, Orinda would prevail 13-5.

Monday's Championship Game was a hard fought 7-4 victory over their determined neighbors, the Moraga Bolts, who stormed through the medal round to make the Championship game. Moraga took a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first and then shut down Orinda in the bottom of the inning 1-2-3. Orinda had been retired in order only one other inning in the entire tournament.

Orinda bounced back in the top of the second with its signature, suffocating defense, silencing the Moraga attack.

In the bottom of what proved to be the crucial second inning, Orinda's offense erupted for five runs led by key RBIs from Fraser, Jack LaCour, Carson Essabhoy and a deep ground rule double by Zachary Donner.

Orinda then held Moraga scoreless through the next four innings. Although Moraga had lead-off runners in each inning, they never moved past second base as Adrese Azzani (SS), Declan McManus (3B), Ryan O'Neil (2B), Tanner Zwahlen (1B) and Curran (P) routinely cut down runners on the base paths. The threat of Charlie Mollahan's strong arm and his alert play at the plate also discouraged the Moraga running game. Matt Meredith had two outfield put-outs in the scoreless stretch.

After Orinda put up two more runs in the bottom of the fifth, Moraga served notice that it would not go quietly. In the top of the sixth, Moraga once again got their lead-off batter on with a base hit. Orinda recorded the first out on a McManus to O'Neil fielder's choice. The next Bolt hitter doubled setting up second and third with only one out. Nicholas Wong then put an exclamation point on his strong tournament play with a catch in deep left to turn back the building threat. Following a two run Moraga double, Donner made a diving catch in center to seal the victory for Coach Dennis Wong and his staff of Mike Curran, Tarek Azzani, Scott Mollahan and Mickey O'Neil.

Orinda's Path to the Title: Victories over El Cerrito Red 21-1; Los Altos/Mountain View 18-2; San Mateo West Coast Federals (SMWCF) 11-1; Millbrae 12-7; SMWCF (again) 13-5; Moraga 7-4.





Moraga Bolts

End Great Season

Submitted by Bev Harper

Over the 4th of July weekend, two U8 All-Star teams from Lamorinda participated in the 15th annual Dale Wilson Baseball Tournament in San Bruno. The Moraga Bolts and the Orinda All-Stars battled to win about five games each to reach the finals. They outlasted 16 other teams to make it.

Monday afternoon, the two Lamorinda teams met in the championship game. Orinda's bats made the slight difference in the game outscoring the Moraga Bolts 7-4 to take the title. All players went home with trophies and the satisfaction of knowing that they played their best to make it to the championship game.