Sweetwater Valley’s Fantastic Run Finally Ends

By Rabbi Rabbs
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Updated: August 8, 2019

(Joshua Hughes of Bonita’s Sweetwater Valley Little League belts a home run on Tuesday during the West Region tournament in San Bernardino. In the upper-right corner, the photo shows the ball leaving Hughes’ bat. Photo courtesy of Jon Bigornia.)

Despite a thrilling comeback in front of hundreds of screaming fans, Bonita’s Sweetwater Valley Little League came up short on Wednesday. Southern California’s representative fell to a team from Arizona, 8-6. The loss eliminated the Bonita Bashers from the West Region tournament held in scorching hot desert temperatures at Albert E. Houghton Stadium in San Bernardino.

Bonita’s rocket man.

The SoCal boys dug a huge hole for themselves. They spotted Arizona a big 6-0 lead after three innings. But, then the Bashers’ bats finally came alive. Slugger Daniel Sánchez led the way. In the top of the fourth inning, he blasted Sweetwater Valley’s first hit of the night with a towering home run shot over the left field fence. Sánchez seemed to do exactly that all summer long. Because he launches rockets, that is why Sánchez is the Bonita rocket man.

(Music by Elton John. Photos of Daniel Sánchez courtesy of Jon Bigornia.)

However, Arizona rebounded in the bottom of the fourth by adding two more runs to extend its lead to 8-1. It seemed Sweetwater Valley’s pitching and defense struggled with Arizona’s batters and base runners. But then, Joshua Hughes took the mound. The left-handed reliever with his unusual pitching motion gave those same Arizona batters fits. Hughes struck out the first three batters he faced in the fourth to end the inning. Still, that seven-run deficit appeared grim.

Here he comes to save the day.

But, wait. The Bashers still owned more ammunition ready to fire. In the top of the fifth, Sweetwater Valley loaded the bases with only one out. The partisan Southern California crowd suddenly went berserk. The comeback had started, and the fans felt it. Guess who stepped up to bat? That is right. Hughes. Call him Mighty Mouse, because Hughes comes to save the day. On the mound or at the plate, on the sea or on the land, he gets the situation well in hand.

(Music by 20th Century Fox. Photos of Joshua Hughes courtesy of Jon Bigornia.)

Hughes delivered big time. He smashed a clutch triple to clear the bases!!!!! Three big runs scored !!! SoCal was suddenly back in the ballgame, and the crowd went wild !!! Hughes cut Arizona’s lead to 8-4. Rocket Man then stepped to the plate. Bam! Sánchez singled to center to drive home Mighty Mouse from third !!! 8-5 !!! Crowd went nuts!!!! SV-LL !! Let’s Go SoCal !!!

Thrilling comeback.

But then Arizona changed pitchers. The reliever shut down the door on the rest of the inning, stranding Sánchez at first base. The game went to the bottom of the fifth. Hughes remained on the mound, and Mighty Mouse remained on fire. Three more strikeouts along with a single. Six strikeouts in two innings of work. Dude was in a zone. We headed to the top of the sixth and final inning. One more chance to complete the comeback. The Bashers put runners on first and second, but with two outs. Cristian Jimenez stepped to the plate. He represented the tying run. The crowd went crazy. Bang! Jimenez drilled the ball by the shortstop, scoring another run!!!!!! 8-6!!! Suddenly, the tying run was aboard. The go-ahead run stepped up to the plate. Could it happen? Could Southern California win the game? The possibility sure felt that way.

But, sadly, Arizona got the batter out, and the game ended. But what a fantastic comeback rally. Southern California had gone down fighting. I was so happy to be there cheering for the Bonita Bashers. In my opinion, Sweetwater Valley simply ran out of time. The game seemed similar to a race. SoCal gave Arizona a huge head start. The Bashers spotted their opponent a big seven-run lead late in the contest. Then, the Bonita boys turned on their jets, but they were too little too late. I honestly believe that had the game gone two more innings, SoCal would have won.

Time was not on Bonita’s side.

Hughes pitched amazingly. He only threw 31 pitches during his two innings. Hughes had 54 pitches remaining. I think with those 54, he could have shut out Arizona for three more of its turns at bat. Doing so would have allowed the Bashers two more innings to complete their comeback. The heart of the SoCal lineup was due to return to the plate in the seventh inning. I’m telling you, the Bashers could have pulled out a miracle victory had the game gone eight innings.

(Southern California’s Alessandro Cataño scores a run during the West Region tournament. Photo courtesy of Jon Bigornia.)

In any event, the loss marked the second straight year in which a Southern California team got eliminated on a Wednesday in a contest to determine which team goes on to play in Friday’s semi-finals. Last year, Sweetwater Valley’s adjoining neighbor, Park View Little League of Chula Vista, got sent home on a Wednesday. I attended that game as well. For Sunnyside Little League of Tucson, AZ, this year’s victory over SoCal must feel especially sweet, because Park View eliminated that same Tucson league last year. However, Park View’s victory turned costly, because two of Chula Vista’s players left that contest with injuries. Each later returned from a hospital wearing an arm splint. Both were sidelined the next night when Park View lost.

Electrified atmosphere.

This year, Southern California started its tournament action on Sunday night in front of thousands of spirited fans. Electrified atmosphere. High energy. For SoCal’s Little League enthusiasts, nothing compares to opening night at Houghton. It was while attending an opening night years ago that I got addicted to the West Region tourney, regardless of who represents SoCal. I even attend games while air temperatures reach 104 degrees, as they did this week.

(CaliSports News’ Director of Little League watches West Region tournament action. Photo courtesy of Steve Wood.)

This year, I attended opening night, and Southern California’s games on Tuesday and Wednesday. Sunday was especially fun for me, because I bumped into so many great people that I know from a wide variety of leagues. The West tournament serves as a convention for folks from all over the region to re-connect. It is nice to meet up again even if only once a year.

A stink bomb.

Anyway, Southern California dropped its opener to Hawai’i, 4-2. That was the identical score of Sweetwater Valley’s prior loss this summer. After that earlier defeat, Bonita’s boys earned five straight victories. On Sunday night, SoCal’s pitchers performed well, but their defense failed them. Sweetwater Valley committed too many errors, and its fielders bobbled too many balls. Bonita’s boys did not play like themselves. Perhaps they suffered from opening night jitters?

The game reminded me of last year when Park View lost to a team representing Nevada. I attended that fiasco. Despite a tremendous pitching performance, the Chula Vista club fell short because its defense turned in a stink bomb. That sums up Sweetwater Valley on Sunday. Basically, Southern California hit balls hard to Hawai’i’s fielders. The Hawai’i defense properly executed its plays. Whereas, Hawai’i hit balls softly to SoCal’s fielders, but Bonita’s boys too many times failed to make their plays. Sweetwater Valley’s poor fielding gave the game away to Central East Maui Little League of Wailuku, HI. This year marked the fifth time in 11 years in which that perennially-strong league represented Hawai’i at the West Region tournament.

Sweetwater Valley regrouped.

On Tuesday, Southern California’s team regrouped. The Bashers won in a five-inning blowout, 15-2, against a team representing Utah. The Bashers’ big bats came alive again. The Bonita boys looked like their old selves from early July when they won by huge lopsided scores.

(Southern California’s Nyenati Snoh scores a run during the West Region tournament. Photo courtesy of Jon Bigornia.)

Tuesday’s contest quickly unfolded into a mismatch. Southern California recorded two runs in the first inning, one in the second, five in the third, and seven in the fifth. Hughes led the way with an absolute monster day at the plate. Hughes belted the Bashers’ first home run at Houghton. He finished the game 3-for-4 with a walk and five RBIs. Hughes scored twice. Ryan García enjoyed a big day as well. He too went 3-for-4, with a double and three RBIs. Sánchez and Kapono Nakanelua added their own doubles, as the Bashers combined for a whopping 15 hits.

Sweetwater smoking.

Sweetwater Valley’s Doomsday Defense shut down the batters from Washington Little League of Washington, UT. Fire baller Ethan Otero was in a zone. He pitched the first three innings, and did not give up any earned runs. Otero scattered four hits, and did not allow any walks. Otero was a beast on the hill. He threw heat. That kid’s pitches were Sweetwater smoking.

(Music by Boston. Photos of Ethan Otero courtesy of Jon Bigornia.)

Southern California’s manager replaced Otero after 53 pitches to keep the ace hurler eligible to pitch again on Friday. Adrik Sánchez (no relation to Daniel) shut out Utah in the fourth inning, and then Hughes shut out that team in the fifth. Adrik and Hughes each recorded three strikeouts. Terrific outing for the pitching threesome. In all, Sweetwater Valley did an excellent job of keeping its pitchers eligible. Otero was the only pitcher unavailable against Arizona.

Big thank you to Sweetwater Valley’s members.

Finally, on a personal note, I felt especially sad that Sweetwater Valley’s season ended. I love that league’s community. The family members of this year’s team were incredibly welcoming to me. They saved for me seats to sit with them even though I had never asked them to do so. They told me they considered me one of the family members. That made me feel so special. Sweetwater Valley members are so amazingly thoughtful of me, and generous. This year, they gave to me three free t-shirts, a free hat, a free bumper sticker which now proudly graces the Rabbsmobile, a free pin, and numerous free bottles of cold water. They even offered to buy food for me at Houghton. I love Sweetwater Valley, and I shall miss its community. Hopefully, I will see many of those wonderful people next year. Until then, Go Bonita Bashers !! Let’s Go SoCal !!

(Photo courtesy of Jon Bigornia.)

Perhaps the nicest takeaway from my entire summer happened this week. During their television broadcast of Southern California’s victory against Utah, ESPN’s announcers told viewers that Sweetwater Valley’s Andrew Arnce goes by the nickname of “Sandman”. One of the announcers even chuckled and said, “Enter Sandman”. When I heard all of that, I almost died.

The Sweetwater Sandman.

In one of my articles this summer, Rabbi Rabbs gave that nickname to Arnce. I even created a video showing photos of Arnce pitching while the music blasted Metallica’s Enter Sandman. I confirmed with the Sweetwater Sandman’s father that Andrew indeed took his nickname from my article. Apparently, Sweetwater’s Sandman loves the nickname and his video. In addition, other players on the team got a big kick out of it. As a result, the other boys now call their pitcher Sandman. Andrew told ESPN that is his nickname. And, the above photo proves it. I am floored. The fact that what I write causes such impact blows my mind. But more than that, knowing that I had such a positive effect on kids makes the job worth every hour I worked.

Looking back, my five favorite moments from covering this summer’s games were (not in any particular order): Arnce taking my nickname, capturing the eighth-inning comeback rally for the players on Moorpark Little League of Moorpark, receiving a message from the manager of Park View’s 2009 world champions, discovering that young players are my most loyal readers, and receiving a message from a youngster thanking me for mentioning him in an article.

A special manager.

I must also take a moment to thank Sweetwater Valley’s manager for giving to CaliSports News an amazing amount of time and access. Manager Ward Lannom not only spoke to me on Little League fields after games, but at his travel ball team’s game. He and I exchanged emails probably every week starting in May. We spoke on the phone at length several times. Not only did I speak to him while I was at home, but on my cell phone while at my doctor’s office, at an amusement park in between go kart races, and even while wearing my soaking wet suit at Zuma Beach after I surfed. True story. Lannom did somewhat similarly. He spoke to me while I was on his speaker phone in his truck as he drove to Mission Viejo, and while he made a late night taco run while staying in the dorms in San Bernardino. I appreciate all of that unparalleled access.

I cannot imagine a major league manager doing that for me. Made my job so much easier. Thanks, Coach! Also, for the record, Lannom thought up the name “Sweetwater Sandmen”. He did so to describe his entire pitching staff. However, I opted to use “Doomsday Defense” instead. But, I borrowed the manager’s idea to specifically describe Arnce. And now you know.

SoCal wins Junior division!

Next, congratulations to Fullerton’s Golden Hill Little League for winning the West Region tournament in the Junior division !! Golden Hill will play in the Junior World Series held in Taylor, MI. I count seven of Golden West’s players that played on its Majors team last year. I watched those seven beat San Diego’s San Carlos Little League. Golden Hill is the only SoCal team still active in this year’s tournaments. CaliSports News wishes much success to Golden Hill.

While we are at it, congratulations to Thousand Oaks Little League of Thousand Oaks for winning the Southern California title in the 10-and-under division !! CaliSports News covered 11U last week. Congratulations to El Rio Little League of Oxnard for winning SoCal’s banner in the Senior division !! And, congratulations to Northridge City Little League of Northridge for winning the SoCal championship in the Intermediate Division !! Turning our attention to softball, congratulations to Los Angeles’ Winchester Del Rey Little League for winning SoCal’s Little League softball championship !! Congratulations to South El Monte National Little League of South El Monte for winning the SoCal title in Junior division softball !! And, a big congratulations to Burbank Little League of Burbank for winning the West Region tournament in Senior division softball !! In all, Southern California teams won two West Region tournament championships !!

Readers’ comments.

Finally, I appreciate my readers’ wonderful supportive comments posted under my last article, Bonita’s Bashers Win SoCal Little League Title !!. Thank you very much, everyone. It feels nice to be so appreciated. I still have one article remaining to write this summer. That story will feature current and former players from California District 42. You do not want to miss that. So, stay with CaliSports News, Southern California’s undisputed leader in Little League coverage.

I shall sign off with footage captured of me on Sunday cheering for Southern California while rocking my brand-spanking-new cool Sweetwater Valley threads.