Monster Eastlake Snorting Fire, Ripping Apart District 42
- Updated: July 7, 2021
(Isaac Rodríguez of Chula Vista’s Eastlake Little League hit two monster home runs on Tuesday. Above, he is shown smacking one of them. Photo courtesy of Jon Bigornia.)
Chula Vista’s Eastlake Little League is on fire. After winning its first three California District 42 tournament games, that monster outscored its opponents by a whopping 34-1 !! Yes, 34-1 !!
On Tuesday, Eastlake’s all-stars improved their record to 3-0. They did so by turning away Chula Vista American Little League of Chula Vista. That city’s Park View Little League hosted. In front of a massive, enthusiastic crowd, the Eastlake monster won, 12-1. Isaac Rodríguez belted two home runs to lead the victors. Guillermo MacFarland added one of his own. Three Eastlake homers in one tournament game on the big stage. That is monster! With the win, Eastlake punched its ticket to the district championship game. Park View will host that on Sat., Jul. 10.
Next, I need to set the record straight. In last month’s Local Little Leagues Say: “Play Ball !!”, I wrote that eight of District 42’s nine leagues will compete in the tournament. I stand corrected. After CaliSports News published that article, two leagues sadly withdrew. Hence, six competed. The tournament opened on Jul. 1. The reigning Southern California champion kicked off the event. That of course is Bonita’s Sweetwater Valley Little League. The champs continued where they left off in 2019. Sweetwater Valley shut out Chula Vista’s South Bay Little League, 12-0.
Monster shutout streak.
That same day, Eastlake likewise shut out South San Diego’s Southwest Little League, 10-0. Two days later, Eastlake continued its shutout streak. That powerhouse league beat its longtime rival, Park View, 12-0. In that contest, Eastlake’s Nico Sánchez smacked a grand slam. With the victory, smoking red hot Eastlake had outscored its opponents, 22-0, after two games. Amazing!
(Eastlake’s Nico Sánchez, no. 09, celebrates with teammates after hitting a grand slam, Jul. 3, against Park View. Photo courtesy of KUSI.)
Meanwhile, District 42’s famous “Monster Slayer” struck again. That of course refers to Chula Vista American. That league earned its nickname by continuing to harpoon heads of Little League’s famous “Three-Headed Monster“. That monster earned national notoriety after three of District 42’s adjacent leagues in the past 12 years played in the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, PA. Hence, the Three-Headed Monster. This year saw more of the same from the Monster Slayer. Sweetwater Valley is one of the famed monster’s heads. That league became one of the three heads by sending a team to S. Williamsport in 2015. This year, Chula Vista American convincingly defeated Sweetwater Valley, 6-1. Yep. Toppled the current Southern California champions. Just like that. However, that outcome should not surprise CaliSports News readers. That is because those readers recall that CSN reported two years ago about the Monster Slayer’s then-10-and-under all-stars. Those youngsters won 2019’s District 42 10-and-under title. Many of those same players now lead Chula Vista American’s 12-and-under squad.
Girl power.
The Monster Slayer’s roster includes a noteworthy addition. Her name is Maya Matthies. She got selected to all-stars after making history. During this year’s regular season, Matthies became CVA’s first-ever female to belt two home runs in a game! Way to go, Maya! Matthies stands taller than do many of her male teammates. She brings power and speed to the plate. Against Eastlake, Matthies went one-for-three and stole a base. She batted fifth in a stacked batting order. What a beast! Readers may wonder why CaliSports News failed to include Matthies in Little League’s Female Stars Shine In SoCal. The reason is simple. That article spotlighted 2019’s female all-stars from District 42. That year, Matthies did not get selected to that district’s all-stars. Hence, CSN omitted her from its feature. Seems unfair. She deserves that spotlight.
(Chula Vista American’s Maya Matthies dives safely back to first base on Tuesday. A few moments later, she stole second. Photo courtesy of Jon Bigornia.)
In any event, on Monday, Park View eliminated South Bay. Meanwhile, Sweetwater Valley eliminated Southwest. The two games got played simultaneously. Each resulted with the identical score of 26-0. The odds of that happening seem astronomical. On Tuesday, Sweetwater Valley eliminated Park View, 3-0. Next up, Sweetwater Valley faces Chula Vista American in a rematch, on Thu., Jul. 8. Park View hosts. The winner battles Eastlake on Sat., Jul. 10. That will serve as the district championship. If Eastlake wins that, then that league captures District 42’s crown. If Eastlake loses, Park View shall host a one-game winner-take-all rematch, Sun., Jul 11.
Monster madness.
Incidentally, Eastlake became one of the Three-Headed Monster’s heads by winning 2013’s United States championship. Thus, the Monster Slayer has a major hill to climb. For Chula Vista American to capture District 42’s banner, that league must win three straight games. In each, CVA would face a monster head. Sweetwater Valley on Thursday, followed by Eastlake on Saturday and Sunday. Can the Monster Slayer do it? Or, will Bonita’s defending champs return to glory? Or, will Eastlake continue to spew fire? We shall soon know. Until then, stay tuned !!
Where are they now?
Changing the topic, it is time for the latest installment of CaliSports News’ popular segment called, Where Are They Now?, in which we report on former Little Leaguers. This time we shall focus on a former Sweetwater Valley all-star. This article mentioned how that league’s all-stars reached the 2015 Little League World Series. In doing so, that team created a memorable moment at the West Region tournament. Sweetwater Valley orchestrated a wild finish to the event’s championship game. That dramatic ending involved a famous rundown. Sweetwater Valley’s catcher proved instrumental in that. He trapped a runner from Hawaii’s all-star team between third base and home plate. The ensuing melee resulted in Sweetwater Valley’s pitcher tagging Hawaii’s runner to end the game. With the win, Southern California’s representative captured the West’s crown. Last year, the all-star catcher in that exhilarating 2015 rundown committed to play baseball for the University of San Diego Toreros. That catcher is Ariel Armas.
(Ariel Armas, right, chases runner during epic 2015 rundown. Nathan Nankil, left, observes. Photo courtesy of Jon Bigornia.)
CaliSports News first reported on Armas in Why I Follow Little League Baseball. In that 2018 article, CSN recounted the incredible ending to the West’s 2015 title game. Here is what I stated:
The Rundown.
“I believe Antonio Andrade was the right fielder who threw that bullet from foul ground right on the money to the catcher, preventing a sure run, and setting up the rundown. Armas was the catcher who snagged Andrade’s beeline throw, and immediately rocketed it to Nathan Nankil covering third, who returned it to Armas, who then flipped it to Dante Schmid, who fired it to Levi Mendez, who tagged out the runner.” Once again, let us watch a replay of that amazing moment:
(Dramatic final out of the 2015 West Region tournament. Footage courtesy of ESPN.)
A thrilling ending. It capped an intense inning. Let us review the nerve-racking events that preceded the rundown. We shall start by recalling that summer’s Southern California all-star tournaments. Armas got selected to play for the Bonita league’s all-stars. Just a side note: your favorite rabbi/sportswriter had never heard of Bonita prior to that summer. However, I was very familiar with one of that unincorporated area’s neighboring cities, all because of Little League.
The Little League Capital of America.
That city, Chula Vista, produced the 2009 world champions, and the 2013 national champs. In 2013, when I discovered that the league (Eastlake) Chula Vista sent to the Little League World Series was not the same one (Park View) from 2009, my world got rocked. I could not get over how one small town produced two United States winners in five years, and from separate leagues. How the heck was that even possible? Do people drink different water down in that narrow area between San Diego and Mexico? What in the world was going on down there?
As a result, I referred to Chula Vista as the Little League Capital of America. So, just imagine my shock to discover that Bonita borders Chula Vista! But wait, there is more. Many of the players in that league go on to attend the same high school as do players from the Chula Vista leagues that produced national titlists! Yes, folks. The three leagues send kids to the same school. Crazy.
(SoCal celebrates 2015 West Region title. At bottom of dog pile forming is Ariel Armas. Photo courtesy of Jon Bigornia.)
That summer, I followed the Little League tournaments with great interest. I had my eyes peeled on a few leagues climbing through SoCal’s brackets. Sweetwater Valley became one of them. That team put up alarming scores. Back then, SoCal’s 10 geographical sections got grouped into two sets. Five in the north, and five in the south. Each set held its own tournament within its own territory. After each produced a winner, those two victorious leagues would face each other for SoCal’s title. Make sense? Sweetwater Valley worked its way through the southern bracket.
Toreros nab catcher from famous rundown.
I live in Los Angeles, so I mainly focused on the north. I paid attention that year to LA’s Sherman Oaks Little League and Manhattan Beach Little League of Manhattan Beach. Each seemed formidable. Sherman Oaks enjoyed a great run, but Manhattan Beach edged out a victory in the north finals. Meanwhile, Sweetwater Valley dominated the south. That set up SoCal’s finals between Manhattan Beach and Sweetwater Valley. No contest. Sweetwater Valley destroyed Manhattan Beach. That might have marked the end of me paying attention to action close to home. From then on, I mostly focused on District 42, home of the Three-Headed Monster.
Speaking of which, this article features photographs of the famous rundown. District 42’s Jon Bigornia snapped those. He stood close to third base during the final out. In fact, Bigornia appeared on television 49 seconds into the highlight clip embedded earlier in this article:
(We see you, Jon Bigornia.
Photo courtesy of ESPN.)
In any event, the West Region tournament soon began. I attended its opening night. That game featured arguably the two best teams in the West. Southern California and Hawaii. SoCal won. Bonita’s boys continued winning that week. During which, I traveled to Albert E. Houghton Stadium in San Bernardino to cheer for them. Meanwhile, Hawaii’s team also continued winning. The two powerhouses met for a rematch in the tournament finals. In that winner-take-all one-game rematch, Sweetwater Valley built a seemingly insurmountable lead. But, Hawaii rallied strongly during its final inning at bat. Hawaii cut Southern California’s lead to 12-9. With two outs, Hawaii had two runners on base. The potential tying run stepped to the plate. Pressure time.
Insanity.
And then, “The Rundown” happened. I refer to it as “The Rundown”, because I cannot think of another performed at any level of competition that became more famous or more consequential. I must also state the following. Last week, in 2011 Ocean View Little League, SoCal’s Last World Champion, I described a nail-biting finish to 2011’s West Region title game. That 2011 final inning probably remains more epic, because Southern California came from behind to win. However, nothing compares to 2015’s in terms of climactic endings, and in levels of insanity.
Teamwork makes the dream work.
CaliSports News thanks everyone that shares our articles. Teamwork makes the dream work. On that note, CSN thanks District 42 for sharing 2011 Ocean View Little League, SoCal’s Last World Champion on social media. With that, we conclude my latest article. My next article will feature more District 42 updates. Until then, congratulations to Armas!! Go Toreros!! Let’s Go SoCal!!
Stay with CaliSportsNews.com, Southern California’s undisputed leader in Little League coverage, as we keep you up-to-date on all things SoCal sports! All Cali, All the time!
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One Comment
About Rabbi Rabbs
Deborah Armas
July 8, 2021 at 7:48 am
Good morning Rabbi Rabbs.
Thank you for writing up this article. Always brings back chills when I read and see video coverage on that play taking the WEST title to continue on to Williamsport PA in 2015. Sweetwater vs Hawaii. An epic evening watching these 12 year olds.
My name is Deborah Armas. My son is Ari Armas. He was the catcher in that play for Sweetwater. Now just graduated from Saint Augustine HS and off to USD, committed to play Baseball. We have continued to love the sport of baseball, and look forward to watching our son continue to play locally here at USD. Maybe you can come watch a game in the Spring.
Again, thank you for all your support.
Deborah Armas