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View Winners → Arcadia Little League Wins District 17 Championship
Arcadia Weekly Jun 17, 2015
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– Photo courtesy Shen Photography/Eric Shen
For the first time in 15 years, a majors team from the Arcadia American Little League has won the prestigious annual California District 17 Little League championship.
The Angels became the team to end AALL’s title drought as they used their trademark explosive start fueled by power hitting, strong defense and great pitching to defeat the Pasadena American White Sox, 11-0, Saturday at packed Windsor Field to complete a weeklong, three-game sweep of local San Gabriel Valley opponents and claim a historic championship.
The title might have been historic not just because it was AALL’s first in more than a decade, but because of how the Angels did it. In three victories, they outscored their opponents, 28-1; outhit them, 26-4, and out-homered them, 6-0.
The Angels, who claimed the undisputed championship of their own league by claiming both the first and second halves of a historic season, ended up winning their last eight games and 17 of their final 18 games while losing only one game after March 7. The Saturday victory also gave Manager Don McIntire his second district championship in four years.
Against the White Sox, who easily eliminated Pasadena Central and San Marino to reach the final, winning pitcher Michael Easter was virtually unhittable in the four-inning game. He allowed only a bunt single and struck out seven while walking none to earn his first postseason victory. He was backed up by a flawless defense that committed no errors and an offense that slammed three home runs. They were hit by Ryan Nguyen, Jake Miller and Michael Gruppie.
– Photo courtesy Shen Photography/Eric Shen
Ryan Nguyen’s two-run homer and Miller’s (which came on the very next pitch) keyed a six-run first inning where Matt McIntire, Brandon Nguyen and Guy Gruppie, Jr. also had RBI hits. Michael Gruppie hit his second home run of the tournament in the third to start a three-run uprising.
Ryan Nguyen and Miller played major roles in getting the Angels into the championship game. In their tournament opener, the Angels stormed past the Central Altadena Rays, 10-0 as Nguyen went 3 for 3 with a grand slam and three runs scored, and Miller knocked in three runs with a long sacrifice fly and double. Guy Gruppie, Jr., a surprise starter on the mound, not only was the winning pitcher but combined with Nguyen who tossed the final inning on a combined no-hitter. Gruppie struck out four batters in his three innings of work.
In the semifinals, the Angels faced the talented Orioles, champions of the strong East Altadena Little League who were coming off a big win over the Santa Anita Reds. As usual, the Angels went right to work, scoring five runs in the first inning and coasting to victory helped by a strong starting pitching effort by Ryan Nguyen. Easter doubled to lead-off the bottom of the first, and with two runs in, two on base and two out, Jonah Tang sent the Angels’ fans into a frenzy with a long three-run home run. Michael Gruppie added home run in the fourth as the Angels defeated the Orioles for the second time this season.
On their way to the Tournament of Champions, the Angels played championship baseball from the start of the season to the end. Gruppie, Jr. turned in a great opening day relief job to help beat the AALL Twins in a game that probably decided the first half championship. During the first half, the Angels rallied twice to defeat their other intra-league rival, the Mariners, twice, in two tense and well played-games, 4-2 and 4-3. In the first of two great first half matches, Easter and Michael Gruppie combined on a two-hitter and struck 12 as Gruppie’s late triple tied the score and put the Halos ls in position to win. In the second first-half game with the Mariners, Tang’s single gave the Halos their first of two walk-off victories, not just of the season but against those very same Mariners whom the Angels beat four times but had to come from behind to win every time.
The Angels clinched the first half championship with a come-from-behind 8-3 win over the Santa Anita Red Sox.
The start of the second half on April 13 promised another close game against the Mariners, and the Angels’ most dramatic moment of the season. They trailed, 5-3, with two runner on and two out when Michael Gruppie slammed a walk-off three-run homer to right-center field, giving the Angels not just an improbable victory but enormous confidence that carried them through the rest of a tough schedule much of which was played away from the friendly confines for Windsor Field. The Angels scored three impressive victories in three games at East Altadena’s Donley Field in between winning both second-half matchups with the talented Twins, who went on to win the District 17 City Tournament and give AALL a majors division postseason sweep.
Along the way, Easter was simply excellent on the mound. He finished the season 8-1, and was the winning pitcher in several key Angel victories. He led the team not only in wins and innings pitched but strikeouts and walked only hitters in more than 40 innings of work.
The right-hander was also superb in the field at shortstop and catcher and combined with Michael Gruppie to form one of the most potent offensive combinations in the district during the regular season. ”Mike and Mike” hit more than .500, had .635 on-base percentages, scored more than 20 runs and had 22 and 24 hits, respectively. Gruppie averaged more than one RBI per game. Those are impressive statistics but even more so considering that for much of the regular season the Angels often batted 13 players.
Not surprisingly, the two longtime teammates shared Angel Most Valuable Player honors.
But the Angels were far from dependent on that dynamic duo. Miller, in his first year in AALL, hit .450 and drove in 17 runs, had four game-winning RBIs nd played a stellar third base while making some great key pitching appearances. Ryan Nguyen had a great strong half that carried right into the postseason, knocking in 11 runs in his final 10 pre-TOC games while leading the team in stolen bases. Tang and McIntire provided steady defense and timely run production, Brandon Nguyen excelled at times in the leadoff spot and Sage Sabharwal hit his first little league home run and had two game-winning RBIs during a true season to remember for the Angels and AALL.
– Photo courtesy Shen Photography/Eric Shen
