Local Manhattan-Hermosa Beach baseball players fall in World Series semifinals
The Manhattan-Hermosa Little League 13-15 year old all-star team featured Garrett Baliton, Ian Draves, Matthew Field, Ben Gneiser, Namath Hogan, Max Jonas, Addison Lee, Ryan Lee, Robert Love, Connor Meidroth, Alex Rohm, Dondillon Rohrer, Jackson Shea and Charlie Webb. Tony Caswick managed the squad with assistants Dave Williams (1984 CSUN World Series Champion alum) and Ty Conrad (2016 Mira Costa alum and current El Camino College player).
With the goal of winning the Little League Junior World Series, the 13-15 year old all stars from Manhattan and Hermosa Beach Little Leagues fell just short after reaching the semifinals in Taylor, Mich.
The team from the South Bay finished with a 3-2 record, with both losses coming at the hands of Lufkin, Texas.
“The Lufkin team played outstanding defense and did not give you anything,” MB/HB manager Tony Caswick said. “Pitchers threw strikes and made us earn everything we got. That, to go along with an untimely offensive slump, we came up just a bit short.”
Six teams represented the United States with another six from International competition. The top teams from each division met Sunday for the World Series championship.
In the semifinals, Ben Gneiser drove in both runs for the MB/HB team, but it wasn’t enough as Lufkin captured the United States title with a 5-2 victory.
Lufkin, however, was shut out in the championship game falling to the international representative Asia-Pacific by the score of 2-0.
World Series competition began for the South Bay boys on Aug. 12 with a tough 2-1 victory over the Johnsonburg/Kane/Ridgway team from Pennsylvania.
The MB/HB squad then shut out Brownstown, Mich. 8-0 before falling to the Southwest champion from Lufkin 2-0.
Getting back on track, the MB/HB team defeated Central champion Warren Park of Chicago in a slugfest 9-5, sending the squad to the semifinals.
“Standouts on the team without a doubt were Robert Love and Ben Gneiser,” Caswick stated. “They were offensive constants in the lineup and big time on the mound.
“Also, Jackson Shea was absolutely outstanding the entire summer behind the plate. Framing, blocking, throwing, and a calming presence to our pitchers. Addison Lee was one of our two aces the entire summer and Ian Draves was an absolute strike machine out of the bullpen when it was needed, along with playing a wide variety of positions, and pinch running.”
Leading the South Bay squad in batting was Draves who hit .556 (5 for 9). Charlie Webb hit .429 (3 for 7) and Love batted .294 (5 for 17) with a team-high five RBIs.
On the mound, Love threw a team-high 10.2 innings in three starts. He finished with 10 strikeouts while surrendering 2.63 runs per game.
“Overall, the highlight of the world series for the players was the experience, getting to know other players from different parts of the US and the World, and signing autographs to young local fans in Michigan,” Caswick said. “The highlight for me as a manager, was watching two first year coaches in the league, become major factors in the team’s success, and seeing the team pull for one another.”
The team reached the World Series after winning the Southern California State Championship and Western Regionals with a combined record of 9-0.
In the Western Regionals in San Jose, the team defeated Pearl City, HI 6-2, Reno American, NV 12-1, Mt. Sentinel, MT 8-6, Nogales, AZ 4-3 and Pearl City 7-1 for the title.
In other news, Manhattan Beach Little League has partnered with the new LA Dodgers Training Academy to teach kids and coaches the fundamentals and strategies of baseball.
Registration is underway for the Fall Session in which players receive eight 1 ½ hours training sessions, 1-2 games per week (based on registration from teams in Redondo, El Segundo, etc.) and jersey and cap.
The academy begins the first week of September. For more information, visit LADodgersTrainingAcademy.com.