The Gilroy Little League Majors Phillies headed into the
District 59 Tournament of Champions finals with an 11-game winning
streak.
The Gilroy Little League Majors Phillies headed into the District 59 Tournament of Champions finals with an 11-game winning streak. However, the Oakridge Yankees halted the Phillies’ winning ways in a 3-0 shutout to thwart Gilroy’s championship aspirations Sunday in San Jose.
“You know I was really excited about the way the guys played today. They played really hard today, as well as all season long,” Phillies manager Jason Krulee said. “They played with their hearts all year long.”
Scoreless through three and a half innings, Matt Devito busted open the scoring for the Yankees with a RBI hit to left-center field in the bottom half of the fourth.
“I knew we were gonna face harder teams, but I thought we could win today,” Phillies starting pitcher Dylan McPhillips said.
McPhillips held down the mound, pitching 4 1/3 innings, striking out nine Yankees along the way.
Meanwhile, Yankees starting pitcher Myles Marcial pitched five-plus innings, striking out 10 batters and leaving the mound two pitches into the sixth inning, due to throwing the maximum number of pitches allowed. The two team’s combined for 23 strikeouts.
McPhillips was chased with one out in the fifth after sizable Yankee Michael Farace hit a two-run home run over the right-center field fence.
McPhillips kept his chin up, though, and headed off to shortstop to help his team as Kevin Krulee came in to clean up the inning with a pair of strikeouts.
“I think I kept my head in the game until that guy hit the home run off of me, then I got pissed,” McPhillips said. “I was just hoping there would be no more home runs and I went to play shortstop.
Still looking for their first hit of the game, the Phillies mounted a bit of a rally in the sixth, getting two runners on against Yankees reliever Matthew Parr.
Yankees manager Mark Veloz did not take a chance and pulled Parr, allowing closer Farace to finish the game. Farace struck out the final Philly to clinch the win.
“It’s a feeling like no other. I’ve won before, but this is different. This is everything. This is the best of the best,” Farace said.
Veloz said he recognized the Phillies as a more than worthy opponent and he even scouted the young Little Leaguers in preparation for the finals.
“They win most of the tournaments, most of the championships. So we knew we had a challenge ahead of us,” Veloz said.
