Sunnyside Little League Juniors All-Stars are headed to the state tournament in Avondale beginning July 9 behind a strong mixture of overpowering pitching and hitting they exhibited Thursday against Southwestern Foothills in the District 12 championship series.
Sunnyside won the first two games of the best-of-three championship series to clinch the title.
They received their medals and waved the District 12 championship banner before dousing manager Bryanna Rodriguez with a bucket of water after the 25-1 win in five innings at the Field of Dreams Park.
Sunnyside LL Juniors All-Stars coach Bryanna Rodriguez and her staff have molded a cohesive team that won the District 12 title and is headed for the state tournament in Avondale starting July 8. pic.twitter.com/67L1bi7VVh
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) June 24, 2022
“Before the game, we told the girls, ‘Jitters are out. Nerves are out. Play with heart. Play how you guys know how,” Rodriguez said. “This is what happens. This is a win that we wanted and that we were expecting from the girls and they delivered.”
Starting pitcher Mayrani Muñoz said she used encouragement from her mom to help her through her first appearance in a Little League championship game.
“Before the game, she was saying, ‘Go through the motions. Don’t give up. Just stay by yourself. Take time,'” Muñoz said. “That’s what I did and it happened.”
A no-hitter happened in her four innings of work. She struck out four and walked three.
Sunnyside LL Juniors All-Stars pitcher Mayrani Muñoz talks about her no-hitter in four innings in her team’s 25-1 win over Southwestern Foothills, clinching the District 12 title. She also had an RBI triple. pic.twitter.com/x2TrzyF2mz
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) June 24, 2022
The only time she allowed a runner past second base was in the fourth inning when Southwestern Foothills scored its lone run. She struck out the last two batters to end the game.
“She’s been working really hard; she taught herself how to pitch,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve been working with her, having her kind of adjust herself and find different ways to throw the ball. She struggles at times but the girls help her out.
“She’s come a long way. She’s helped herself a lot.”
Muñoz hit an RBI triple as part of Sunnyside’s 11 hits. Other top batters included infielder Jae Moreno (who was 3-for-4 with two runs, an inside-the-park home run and five RBIs), third baseman Yamilet Loera (2 for 2 with two runs, a home run and an RBI), catcher Camila Vargas (2 for 2 with five runs, a triple and three RBIs) and center fielder Alexa Cirerol (2 for 3 with three runs).
Yamilet Loera of Sunnyside LL Juniors All-Stars had a double and home run in her team’s win over Southwestern Foothills that earned it the District 12 title. pic.twitter.com/tO53GOHoXk
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) June 24, 2022
“It felt pretty good,” Loera said of the home run, “because it’s the first one I’ve had this season. … It feels unbelievable, honestly (reaching the state tournament) because we’ve been working really hard, practicing every day. No breaks so it feels really good actually.”
Rodriguez’s team has four players from last year’s Sunnyside Majors team that reached the state championship game and a mixture of other players who have played before in the Sunnyside Little League program.
Muñoz is experiencing Little League for the first time.
“I really didn’t think I was going to make it (to All-Stars), but it happened,” she said. “Everything can happen when you free your mind.”
THURSDAY, JUNE 23
D-5 BASEBALL 8-10: MEHL
Canyon View 24, Oro Valley 0
Tanque Verde 16, Tucson Mountain 5
D-5 BASEBALL 9-11: CURTIS
Western 15, Marana 13
CDO 15, Oro Valley 13
D-5 BASEBALL 10-12: ORA MAE
CDO 5, Canyon View 2
Marana 18, Continental Ranch 1
D-5 SOFTBALL 8-10: ARTHUR PACK
Thornydale 41, Continental Ranch 1 (Championship)
D-12 SOFTBALL 10-12: FIELD OF DREAMS
Sunnyside 12, Randolph 4
D-12 SOFTBALL JUNIORS: FILED OF DREAMS
Sunnyside 25, Southwestern 1 (Championship)
D-12 JUNIOR BASEBALL: JESSE OWENS
Randolph 14, Empire 3
Sunnyside 16, Copper Hills 6 (6)
FRIDAY, JUNE 24
D-5 SOFTBALL 10-12: ARTHUR PACK
Marana vs. Thornydale, 6:30 p.m.
D-5 BASEBALL 8-10: MEHL
Continental Ranch vs. Tucson Mountain, 5 p.m. (Elimination)
Western vs. Flowing Wells, 6:30 p.m. (Consolation)
Thornydale vs. Oro Valley, 7:30 p.m. (Elimination)
D-5 BASEBALL 9-11: CURTIS
Marana vs. Tucson Mountain, 5 p.m. (Consolation)
Canyon View vs. Thornydale, 7:30 p.m.
D-5 BASEBALL 10-12: ORA MAE
Oro Valley vs. Continental Ranch, 5 p.m. (Elimination)
Thornydale vs. Flowing Wells, 5 p.m. (Consolation)
Western vs. Canyon View, 7:30 p.m. (Elimination)
D-5 BASEBALL 50/70: ARTHUR PACK
Tanque Verde vs. Thornydale, 6:30 p.m.
D-12 BASEBALL 9-11: FIELD OF DREAMS
Cactus vs. Copper Hills, 5:15 p.m.
Los Ninos vs. Sunnyside, 7:45 p.m.
D-12 JUNIOR BASEBALL: JESSE OWENS
Cactus vs. Sunnyside, 5 p.m.
Southwestern vs. Randolph, 7:45 p.m.
D-12 SOFTBALL 10-12: FIELD OF DREAMS
Copper Hills vs. Sunnyside, 5:15 p.m.
SATURDAY, JUNE 25
D-5 SOFTBALL 10-12: ARTHUR PACK
Marana vs. Thornydale, 6:30 p.m.
D-5 BASEBALL 8-10: MEHL
Canyon View vs. Tanque Verde, 7:30 p.m.
D-5 BASEBALL 9-11: CURTIS
Oro Valley vs. TBD, 5 p.m. (Consolation)
CDO vs. Western, 7:30 p.m. (Elimination)
D-5 BASEBALL 10-12: ORA MAE
CDO vs. Marana, 5 p.m.
Tucson Mountain vs. TBD, 5 p.m. (Consolation)
D-5 BASEBALL 50/70: ARTHUR PACK
Western vs. TBD, 6:30 p.m.
D-12 BASEBALL 8-10: PURPLE HEART
Cactus vs. Copper Hills, 5:15 p.m.
Southwestern vs. Rincon, 7:45 p.m.
D-12 BASEBALL 9-11: FIELD OF DREAMS
Rincon vs. TBD, 5:15 p.m.
Randolph vs. TBD, 7:45 p.m.
D-12 JUNIOR BASEBALL: JESSE OWENS
Copper Hills vs. TBD, 5 p.m. (Elimination)
Empire vs. TBD, 7:45 p.m. (Elimination)
D-12 SOFTBALL 8-10: FIELD OF DREAMS
Southwestern vs. Sunnyside, 5:15 p.m.
D-12 SOFTBALL 10-12: FIELD OF DREAMS
Randolph vs. TBD, 7:45 p.m.
MONDAY, JUNE 27
D-5 SOFTBALL JUNIORS: ARTHUR PACK 4
Marana vs. Thornydale, 6:30 p.m.
D-12 BASEBALL 10-12: FIELD OF DREAMS 1
Randolph vs. Copper Hills, 6:30 p.m.
D-12 SOFTBALL 8-10: FIELD OF DREAMS 3
Copper Hills vs. TBD, 7:45 p.m.
TUESDAY, JUNE 28
D-5 SOFTBALL JUNIORS: ARTHUR PACK 4
Marana vs. Thornydale, 6:30 p.m.
D-12 BASEBALL 8-10: PURPLE HEART 4
Empire vs. TBD, 5:15 p.m.
Sunnyside vs. TBD, 7:45 p.m.
D-12 BASEBALL 10-12: FIELD OF DREAMS 1
Rincon vs. Sunnyside, 5:15 p.m.
Empire vs. Cactus, 7:45 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29
D-12 BASEBALL 10-12: FIELD OF DREAMS 1
Southwestern vs. TBD, 5:15 p.m.
D-12 SOFTBALL 9-11: DREAMS FIELDS 3
Randolph vs. Rincon, 5:15 p.m.
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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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