NewsCalifornia, Georgia teams advance
Under-10 National Youth Baseball Championships under way
By Zach Schonbrun / MLB.com
08/28/09 1:23 AM ET
Steven Ybarra snuck out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the fifth inning and the Chino Hills Stars (PONY) used a four-run second inning to get past the Sandtown Red Sox (AABC), 5-4, in the quarterfinals of the Under-10 National Youth Baseball Championships which began on Thursday morning in Cordova, Tenn.The Stars, of Chino Hills, Calif., will play the Benton Panthers (Babe Ruth) at 10:30 a.m. ET on Friday. The Red Sox, from Sandtown, Ga., will play the West Tennessee Wildcats (NABF) at 1 p.m.
Later in the afternoon, North Texas Bulldogs (AAU) defeated Team Georgia (Dixie), 4-1, and the Wildcats defeated the Panthers, 11-0. Wes Harris went 2-for-3 with two RBIs to lead the Bulldogs.
Sandtown looked out of it before making a frantic late-inning comeback against Ybarra and the Stars. Down 5-1 entering the fifth, the Red Sox had the bases loaded with two outs in a 5-4 game when Ybarra gathered himself to strike out Raglin to end the inning.
Ybarra then closed out the ninth to earn a win for the Stars, and starting pitcher Aaron Halpert, who went three innings and allowed one hit and no runs.
Chino Hills got to Red Sox starter William Benson early on, scoring four runs on five hits in the top of the second inning. Dylan Tucker and Ybarra each finished 2-for-3.
In the early game on Thursday, the Dallas Tigers (Super Series) scored six runs in the first inning and never looked back, beating the San Diego Stars (USSSA), 6-3.
Stars starting pitcher Brock Mosier walked three, hit a batter, and was called for a balk as the Tigers scored six runs in the first with only one hit.
The Stars crept back to cut the lead to 6-3 and had the tying run at the plate with nobody out in the sixth inning. But after a flyout, the game ended on a wild 9-2-6-2 double play to preserve the win for Dawson Barr.
Barr threw a complete game with five hits, two walks, three runs and six strikeouts for the win for the Tigers.
Dallas will face Team Georgia at 10:30 a.m. ET on Friday; the Stars will play the Bulldogs at 1 p.m.
Zach Schonbrun is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
