The sixth inning ended at 11:57 p.m. Saturday, and home plate umpire Christopher Fackler asked District 12 officials at the Little League Juniors game between Los Niños and Southwestern if the game should continue for the potential last inning.
City ordinance calls for the lights at Jesse Owens Park to be off by 12:15 a.m. (it’s normally 11 p.m. but District 12 received an extension).
The approximate 15-minute window gave volunteers just enough time to round up the announcing equipment and get the area cleaned before it became pitch black at the neighborhood park that is lined by houses.
Fackler raised his hands. Game over.
Southwestern was jubilant with the 16-14 win, and thankfully, nobody from Los Niños complained.
The long night that included a late start because of the previous game between Sunnyside and San Xavier running long — and the sprinklers turning on in the outfield that delayed the game 15 minutes — came to a close.
“Now, we have to drive all the way home,” one beleaguered dad said.
Southwestern advances to the second round of the winners bracket, where it will face Sunnyside, an 11-8 winner over San Xavier, on Monday at 5:15 p.m. The winner of Southwestern-Sunnyside advances to the championship Thursday.
San Xavier and Los Niños will play Monday at 7:45 p.m. in an elimination game.
Southwestern overcame a 5-1 deficit through two innings to beat Los Niños.
Antonio Ochoa had an inside-the-park home run and also tripled in Southwestern’s four-run fifth inning that gave his team a 16-10 lead.
Los Niños rallied for four runs in the bottom of the fifth after Luis Escobedo led off with a single and Eli Gilliam walked. They later scored on an error and fielder’s choice. Victor Otero capped the rally with a two-run double.
Neither team scored in the sixth and then the game was called.
In Sunnyside’s win over San Xavier, Carlos Urias had two doubles for Sunnyside, including one that knocked in a run as part of a three-run rally in the sixth that gave his team an 11-7 lead.
San Xavier scored a run in the seventh but left the base loaded to end the game.
Sunnyside Juniors win their opening round game of the District 12 playoffs against San Xavier by a final score of 11-8. pic.twitter.com/DykxFGdBTS
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) June 27, 2021
The 10U baseball game between Copper Hills and Sunnyside at the adjacent field during the Los Niños-Southwestern game also went long but ended at about 10:45 p.m. with Copper Hills winning 16-5 in five innings.
After trailing 5-2 entering the bottom of the fourth, Copper Hills rallied for seven runs in the fourth and then seven more in the fifth.
Leadoff hitter Xavier Diaz, who went 2 for 3 with four RBIs, hit a two-run inside-the-park home run to highlight Copper Hills’ rally in the fourth that gave it a 9-5 lead.
The game-clinching fifth-inning rally was sparked by Kellen Ryan’s run-scoring single and Catcher Walker’s RBI triple. Carlos Villegas also had an RBI single and Joe Eames capped the scoring with a two-run single.
“We came out slow and the boys started to do what they had to do,” Copper Hills coach Ben Ewing said. “They started swinging the bats and Xavier Diaz got it going with that inside-the-park shot. Everybody else was consistent. We were smart in the batter’s box.”
Copper Hills will next play Rincon, which defeated San Xavier 22-4 in five innings, on Tuesday at 5:15 p.m. with the winner advancing to Friday’s championship game at 6:30 p.m.
Rincon tallied 19 his in its victory with seven players producing multi-hit games: Mike Ortiz (2 for 5 with two RBIs), Kris Pedrique (3 for 5 with five RBIs), Nathan Ramirez (2 for 5 with four RBIs), Brendan Byars (3 for 5 with three RBIs including a double and home run), Hudson Haner (3 for 5 with two RBIs), CJ Horn (3 for 5 with a double and RBI) and Demarco Valenzuela (2 for 2 with an RBI).
Ramirez also pitched into the fourth inning and had five strikeouts.
“From what I saw, Rincon will be a worthy opponent,” Ewing said. “They earned their spot and we’re going to be ready for them. Absolutely.”
Giovanny Cariño started Sunnyside’s five-run fourth with a single. Pinch-hitter Max Onotre had an RBI single and Emilio Medina walked with the bases loaded to force in a run.
San Xavier plays Cactus in an elimination game Monday at 6:30 p.m. The winner of that game plays Sunnyside in another elimination game Tuesday at 7:45 p.m.
Isaiah Peña, Isaac Diaz and Fernando Villarreal each went 2 for 3 for San Xavier in its game with Rincon.
Some more photos from Saturday at Jesse Owens Park:
District 5 & 12 LITTLE LEAGUE RESULTS THROUGH SATURDAY’S GAMES
Note: * denotes elimination bracket game
Little League Softball
District 12
11U (Mission Manor)
Friday, June 25
Game One (Best of 3): Sunnyside 39, Southwestern 5
Saturday, June 26
Game Two (Best of 3): Sunnyside 28, Southwestern 7 (Sunnyside wins series 2-0 and advances to the state tournament at Payson starting July 15).
Majors (Mission Manor)
Friday, June 25
Game One: Sunnyside 12, Copper Hills 0
Saturday, June 26
Game Two: Sunnyside 15, San Xavier 0
Monday, June 28
*Game Three: Copper Hills vs. San Xavier, 7:45 p.m.
Tuesday, June 29
Game Four: Championship (Sunnyside vs. Winner Game Three), 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 30
Game Five: Championship (if necessary, if Winner Game Three wins Game Four), 6:30 p.m.
District 5
10U (Flowing Wells Park)
Thursday, June 24
Game One (best of 3): Continental Ranch 15, Thornydale 14
Friday, June 25
Game Two: Continental Ranch 11, Thornydale 10 (Continental Ranch wins the series 2-0 and advances to the state tournament at Cottonwood beginning July 9)
Majors (Flowing Wells Park)
Monday, June 28
Game One (Best of 3): Thornydale vs. Marana, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 29
Game Two (Best of 3): Thornydale vs. Marana, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 30
Game Three (if necessary): Thornydale vs. Marana, 6:30 p.m.
Little League Baseball
District 12
50/70 (Vista Del Prado)
Wednesday, June 23
Game One (Best of 3): Copper Hills 16, Cactus 15
Thursday, June 24
Game Two (Best of 3): Copper Hills 13, Cactus 12 (Copper Hills wins series 2-0 and advances to the state tournament at Nogales on July 16)
10U (Jesse Owens Park)
Friday, June 25
Game One: Copper Hills 7, Cactus 6
Saturday, June 26
Game Two: Rincon 22, San Xavier 4
Game Three: Copper Hills 16, Sunnyside 5
Monday, June 28
*Game Four: Cactus vs. San Xavier, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 29
Game Five: Rincon vs. Copper Hills, 5:15 p.m.
*Game Six: Sunnyside vs. Winner Game Four, 7:45 p.m.
Thursday, July 1
*Game Seven: Winner Game Six vs. Loser Game Five, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, July 2
Game Eight: Championship (Winner Game Five vs. Winner Game Seven), 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 3
Game Nine: Championship (if necessary, if Game Seven winner wins Game Eight), 6:30 p.m.
11U (Field of Dreams)
Saturday, June 26
Game One: Sunnyside 16, Randolph 1
Game Two: Rincon vs. Southwestern, Rincon wins by forfeit
Monday, June 28
Game Three: Copper Hills vs. Sunnyside, 5:15 p.m.
Game Four: Los Niños vs. Rincon, 7:45 p.m.
Tuesday, June 29
*Game Five: Southwestern vs. Loser Game Three, 5:15 p.m.
*Game Six: Randolph vs. Loser Game Four, 7:45 p.m.
Thursday, July 1
Game Seven: Winner Game Three vs. Winner Game Four, 5:15 p.m.
*Game Eight: Winner Game Five vs. Winner Game Six, 7:45 p.m.
Saturday, July 3
*Game Nine: Loser Game Seven vs. Winner Game Eight, 6:30 p.m.
Monday, July 5
Game Ten: Championship (Winner Game Seven vs. Loser Game Nine), 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 6
Game Eleven: Championship (if necessary, if Loser Game Nine wins Game Ten), 6:30 p.m.
Juniors (Jesse Owens Park)
Saturday, June 26
Game One: Sunnyside 11, San Xavier 8
Game Two: Southwestern 16, Los Niños 14
Monday, June 28
Game Three: Sunnyside vs. Southwestern, 5:15 p.m.
*Game Four: San Xavier vs. Los Niños, 7:45 p.m.
Tuesday, June 29
*Game Five: Winner Game Four vs. Loser Game Three, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 1
Game Six: Championship (Winner Game Three vs. Winner Game Five), 6:30 p.m.
Friday, July 2
Game Seven: Championship (if necessary, if Winner Game Five beats Winner Game Three), 6:30 p.m.
Majors (Field of Dreams)
Wednesday, June 30
Game One (Field 1): Copper Hills vs. Sunnyside, 5:15 p.m.
Game Two (Field 2): Cactus vs. Empire, 5:15 p.m.
Game Three (Field 1): San Xavier vs. Southwestern, 7:45 p.m.
Game Four (Field 2): Rincon vs. Randolph, 7:45 p.m.
Thursday, July 1
*Game Five (Field 1): Loser Game One vs. Loser Game Two, 5:15 p.m.
*Game Six (Field 1): Loser Game Three vs. Loser Game Four, 7:45 p.m.
Saturday, July 3
Game Seven (Field 1): Game One Winner vs. Game Two Winner, 5:15 p.m.
Game Eight (Field 1): Game Three Winner vs. Game Four Winner, 7:45 p.m.
Monday, July 5
*Game Nine (Field 1): Winner Game Five vs. Loser Game Eight, 5:15 p.m.
*Game Ten (Field 1): Winner Game Six vs. Loser Game Seven, 7:45 p.m.
Tuesday, July 6
Game Eleven (Field 1): Winner Game Seven vs. Winner Game Eight, 5:15 p.m.
*Game Twelve (Field 1): Winner Game Nine vs. Winner Game Ten, 7:45 p.m.
Wednesday, July 7
*Game Thirteen (Field 1): Winner Game Twelve vs. Loser Game Eleven, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, July 9
Game Fourteen (Field 1): Championship (Winner Game Eleven vs. Winner Game Thirteen), 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 10
Game Fifteen (Field 1): Championship (if necessary, if Winner Game Thirteen wins Game Fourteen), 6:30 p.m.
District 5
10U (McDonald Park)
Monday, June 21
Game Two: Canyon View 11, Thornydale 1
Game Three: Flowing Wells/Amphi 12, Continental Ranch 8
Tuesday, June 22
*Game Six: Continental Ranch 14, Thornydale 13
Game One: Tanque Verde 21, Oro Valley 6
Wednesday, June 23
Game Five: Canyon View 15, Flowing Wells/Amphi 0
Game Four: Tanque Verde 20, Western 2
Thursday, June 24
*Game Seven: Flowing Wells/Amphi 15, Oro Valley 0
*Game Eight: Continental Ranch 18, Western 2
Saturday, June 26
*Game Ten: Continental Ranch 14, Flowing Wells/Amphi 7
Game Nine: Canyon View 20, Tanque Verde 0
@JavierJMorales 10u Continental ranch over Flowing Wells. Tanque Verde vs Canyon View up next. pic.twitter.com/6rJxbZVbSW
— Bobby Suba (@suba17_6) June 27, 2021
Monday, June 28
*Game Eleven: Tanque Verde vs. Continental Ranch, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 29
Game Twelve: Championship (Canyon View vs. Winner Game Eleven), 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 30
Game Thirteen: Championship (if necessary, if Winner Game Eleven beats vs. Winner Game Nine), 6:30 p.m.
11U (Kreigh Park)
Monday, June 21
Game Two: Thornydale 13, Tucson Mountain 3
Game Three: CDO 9, Western 5
Tuesday, June 22
Game Six: Tucson Mountain 18, Western 2
Game One: Oro Valley 12, Marana 2
Wednesday, June 23
Game Five: Thornydale 18, CDO 5
Game Four: Canyon View 14, Oro Valley 0
Thursday, June 24
*Game Seven: CDO 25, Marana 15
Friday, June 25
*Game Eight: Oro Valley 19, Tucson Mountain 10
Saturday, June 26
*Game Ten: CDO 10, Oro Valley 0
Game Nine: Canyon View 13, Thornydale 0
Monday, June 28
*Game Eleven: Thornydale vs. CDO, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 29
Game Twelve: Championship (Canyon View vs. Winner Game Eleven), 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 30
Game Thirteen: Championship (if necessary, if Winner Game Eleven beats vs. Winner Game Nine), 6:30 p.m.
Majors (Arthur Pack Park)
Monday, June 21
Game Two: Oro Valley 13, CDO 2
Game Three: Western 11, Continental Ranch 1
Tuesday, June 22
Game Six: CDO 17, Continental Ranch 0
Game One: Canyon View 10, Marana 7
Wednesday, June 23
Game Five: Oro Valley 12, Western 1
Game Four: Thornydale 8, Canyon View 2
Thursday, June 24
*Game Seven: Marana 9, Western 7
*Game Eight: Canyon View 13, CDO 7
Saturday, June 26
*Game Ten: Marana 6, Canyon View 5
Game Nine: Oro Valley 6, Thornydale 2
Monday, June 28
*Game Eleven: Thornydale vs. Marana, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 29
Game Twelve: Championship (Oro Valley vs. Winner Game Eleven), 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 30
Game Thirteen: Championship (if necessary, if Winner Game Eleven beats vs. Winner Game Nine), 6:30 p.m.
50/70 (Crossroads)
Monday, June 28
Game One (Best of 3): Western vs. Continental Ranch, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 29
Game Two (Best of 3): Western vs. Continental Ranch, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 30
Game Three (Best of 3): If necessary, Western vs. Continental Ranch, 6:30 p.m.
FOLLOW @JAVIERJMORALES ON TWITTER!
ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon. He became an educator five years ago and is presently a special education teacher at Gallego Fine Arts Intermediate in the Sunnyside Unified School District
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