Hermosa Beach Junior Little League All Stars beat Redondo Beach for District Championship
Spencer Love.
Harrison Belden.
Dylan Wills.
by Mark Mamber, VP Communications HBLL
Photos by Steven Zaw
Last week, for the first time since 2010, the Hermosa Beach Junior League All-Stars won the District Championship with an all-Hermosa Beach residents Little League team.
Hermosa struggled early in the Wed. June 30 game at Clark Stadium against Redondo. Hermosa was down 5-2 in the bottom of the 7th. But with two outs and no one on, the Hermosa All Stars rallied to tie the game 5-5, sending the contest into extra innings. After Redondo Beach failed to score in the top of the 8th, Hermosa countered with two quick outs of their own. But then Hermosa Beach’s Tyson Yokoo sent a base hit to left to keep the comeback alive. A single by Harrison Belden and a walk to Spencer Love loaded the bases. Hermosa’s Lucas Schermer stepped to the plate and took the count to 2 balls and 2 strikes. Then Schermer launched a shot to deep center that sailed over the center fielder’s head, giving Hermosa a 6-5 comeback victory.
“This was a storybook ending to the 70th anniversary season of the Hermosa Beach Little League, a season that almost didn’t happen due to Covid restrictions,” said Hermosa Beach Little League president Jeff Miller. “The Hermosa community really came out to support the kids. I’ve never seen so many fans at Clark Stadium before.”
The stands were filled with families of both teams, and HBLL Little Leaguers and alumni. The Hermosa Beach firefighters and Hermosa Beach Mayor Justin Massey also cheered on the two teams.”
The Hermosa Junior League All Stars are a team of 13 and 14 year olds, many of whom have been playing Little League at Clark Field since they were 5 years old. For most, this was their last year in the league. In the fall, they will compete with one another for coveted positions on the Mira Costa and Redondo Union high school squads.
Top row, left to right: Tyson Yokoo, Coach Max Jonas, Quinn Keller, Dylan Wills, Matteo DeRenzis, Lucas Schermer, Aiden Pinn, Beckett Miller, Askar Rupe, Kellen Finn, Coach Jorge Gonzalez. Bottom row, left to right: Harrison Belden, Manager Tony Caswick, Spencer Love, Hudson Pischer. Not shown: Dylan Nykaza, Cooper Keane
The 2021 championship team players were: Harrison Belden, Matteo DeRenzis, Kellan Finn, Cooper Keane, Quinn Keller, Spencer Love, Beckett Miller, Dylan Nykaza, Aiden Pinn, Hudson Pinscher, Askar Rupe, Lucas Schermer, Dylan Wills, and Tyson Yokoo. Manager Tony Caswick. Coaches Jorge Gonzales and Max Jonas. ER