June 15, 2005

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Palo Alto Online

Extra works pays off in a title

by Richie Ferber

It took a little extra work and one extra day but you won't hear members of In2Change complaining. The extra work resulted in the Palo Alto Little League team capturing its first-ever city tournament title at Middlefield Park on Sunday.

In2Change (19-5) rediscovered its offense in Sunday's challenge game, pounding out a 14-3 victory over Bike Connection (15-9). The win followed a poor hitting performance by In2Change in Saturday's 4-0 loss.

Bike Connection also took an early 3-0 lead on Sunday.

"We are a very resilient team," In2Change manager Dave Goldman said. "I was confident we would come back."

Thanks in large part to 11-year-old shortstop Graham Marchant, who hit a grand slam, and William Glazier, who pitched two-hit ball over the final five innings, In2Change not only came back from the three-run deficit, it ran away from Bike.

"(Marchant) was one of our best players when he was 10, and he still is," Goldman said.

Bike Connection's Sam Maliska helped force the extra game by throwing a three-hit shutout on Saturday. He also helped give his team the early lead on Sunday with a two-run homer.

It went downhill for Bike Connection after the home run. Glazier made sure of that with his effective pitching, and the offense made sure by adding several insurance runs.

"When (Glazier) came in the game, our whole team was very confident in him. He has pitched really well for us all year," Marchant said.

In2Change won the tournament title on the strength of a well-balanced hitting attack, with seven of its players - Glazier, Marchant, Jeffrey Cohen, Brandon Dukovic, James Huber, George Brown, and Jordan Piha -- having six or more hits in the tourney. Strong pitching from six different pitchers also helped win the crown, the first for Goldman and coaches Mike Piha and John Huber.

In2Change kept the offensive firepower going as Huber had an RBI double for an 8-3 lead after three innings. In the fourth, a double by Cohen was followed by an RBI double by John Dickerson and another RBI single by David Oyer, making the score 11-3.

After a pitching change, In2Change added one more run in the fifth, and two in the sixth on Brown's second hit and Cohen's third hit (and RBI) for the game.

"(In2Change) came out swinging the bats hard, and they earned every run," Bike Connection manager Mike Witte said. "They are a very worthy champion."

Going into Saturday's championship finale for the Palo Alto Little League's annual all-city tournament, In2Change seemed to have momentum on its side. Four consecutive wins put them just one win away from the title. The regular season co-champions of the National League from North Palo Alto were facing the hottest team in the city, third place Bike Connection, also from the National League.

Bike Connection, however, would not cooperate. Needing to sweep two consecutive games to prevail, Bike slammed the door abruptly on In2Change on Saturday.

In one of the best pitching duels of the season, Maliska pitched an outstanding complete game, allowing In2Change only three hits and shutting them out for the first time this season.

Marchant also pitched a complete game, but couldn't hold back the Bike battery. After two scoreless innings, Bike Connection broke through with a double by Maliska, a single by Pedro Robinson, and a walk loading the bases. Brandon Nguyen drove in the first run with a single, then a hit batsman and a single by Andrew Ball and adept base running by Kevin Anderson brought in two more runs, giving Bike a 3-0 lead. Strong pitching continued to keep In2Change at bay throughout the game.

Bike Connection added an insurance run in the sixth on the strength of Jack Smale's double. Maliska closed In2Change out once again in the sixth to end the game, and set the stage for the winner-take-all final on Sunday.

In2Change hit the ball hard in the first inning, but were held off the scoreboard by two great catches from Bike Connection center fielder Mark Raftrey at the wall. Raftrey also singled in a run in the challenge game.

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