Baseball
Tri-Valley Sliders
Boys 16U
Polar Bear Classic
On Dec. 7, the Tri-Valley Sliders 16U baseball club won the December Polar Bear Classic Tournament at Twin Creeks Sports Park in Sunnyvale. This is the Sliders’ fifth tournament championship this season. The Tri-Valley Sliders team consists of players from Amador Valley, Foothill, Granada and Livermore high schools.
The Sliders won all five tournament games and outscored their opponents 49-9. Due to rain and wet fields, the Sliders played all five games in a 22-hour period.
In the championship game, Joshua Ott pitched a seven-inning complete game gem in the Sliders’ 2-1 victory over DCT. Ott struck out six and dominated a strong DCT team that had scored 27 runs in their previous four games. In the top of the third, left fielder Tim Michael threw out a DCT runner at home to keep the score tied 0-0. In the same inning, Carson Quintana made two spectacular plays at third base on sharply hit ground balls. In the bottom half of the third inning, Jordan Mello hit a towering home run to put the Sliders on the board.
The score remained 1-0 until the top of the sixth inning, when DCT tied the game before shortstop Jordan Mello made a diving stop, then scrambled to his feet and threw out the runner at first to end the inning. In the bottom of the sixth, Michael Kodial singled, then scored the go-ahead run on a two-out double by T.J. Meyers. Ott retired the side in order and struck out the last batter looking to seal the championship.
In the semifinal game, pitchers Blake Staniford and Tim Michael earned a 14-2 victory, and in the quarterfinal, pitchers Jordan Mello and T.J. Meyers combined for a 10-4 win.
In the first pool play game, pitchers Dante Albanese and Michael Kodial combined for a 13-1 win, and in the second game Carson Quintana and Michael Kodial shared duties on the mound in a 10-1 victory.
The Sliders batted .496 as a team, and their pitching and defense was spectacular throughout. Dante Albanese led the offense eight hits and a .727 average, including a two home runs, two doubles, four RBI, and a team-high seven runs scored. Michael Kodial also had eight hits and a .727 average, including a double, two RBI and six runs. Other big offensive contributors were T.J. Meyers who seven hits (2B, 5 R, 5 RBI), Griffin Chinn (3 1B, 2 2B, 3 R, 5 RBI), Jordan Mello (3 1B, HR, 5 R, 2 RBI), AJ Warford (5 1B, 2B, 4 R, 3 RBI), Tim Michael (4 1B, 2 2B, 3 R, 5 RBI), Cole Torquemada (4 1B, 2B, 4 R, 3 RBI), and Carson Quintana (3 1B, 3 R, 7 RBI).
Defensively, T.J. Myers threw two base runners out from right field and Dante Albanese made an over-the-shoulder catch in foul territory. Carson Quintana and Jordan Mello also turned in great defensive plays, and Russell Stevenson and Griffin Chinn played well at catcher.
The Tournament MVP trophy was presented to the complete Sliders team for their outstanding team play. The Sliders team consists of: Russell Stevenson, Carson Quintana, Michael Kodial, T.J. Myers, Blake Staniford, Dante Albanese, Joshua Ott, Cole Torquemada, Griffin Chinn, Tim Michael, A.J. Warford, Jordan Mello, and coaches Joel Warford, Dave Ott, Bruce Torquemada and Dave Quintana.
Swimming
Pleasanton Seahawks
The Pleasanton Seahawks sent six Elite division swimmers to the AT&T Winter National Championships held in Greensboro, North Carolina on Dec. 3-6.
Iris Brand swam to her best time in her 200 freestyle and 100 breaststroke, and Christie Chong also had a personal best in 200IM, 100/200 backstroke. Moriah Simonds placed in the 500 freestyle finals, and Maxime Rooney had personal bests in the 200 freestyle, 200 backstroke and 200 butterfly. Rooney also reached the finals in all four events.
