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Thursday, September 10
Almaden Little League Sign-ups for 2010
Almaden Little League has its sign-ups for the next season scheduled during the second week of November.
Sign-ups will happen on Monday, November 16th and Tuesday, November 17th from 6pm to 9pm at Castillero Middle school. All players are required to bring proof-of-residency. (See the sign-up flyer for details). New players are also required to bring an original or certified copy of their birth certificates. The registration fee this year is unchanged at $225. Click HERE for restriction on refunds.
To download the sign-up flyer, click HERE.
Tuesday, July 28
Seniors Lose Heart-Breaker in State Championship Game
The Almaden Senior All-Stars had a phenomenal run through 3 tournaments, but it all came to an end on Friday (July 31st) evening in Stockton.
Almaden rolled through both the District and Sectional tournaments without a loss, winning 6 games in a row. Then, on Sunday, July 26th, in the State/Division tournament, Almaden started off with a win against Niles-Centerville, followed by a win against Oakland to get them to championship game against Niles-Centerville [N-C] where they would have two chances to secure a trip to the Regional tournament in Southern California. N-C won the first game with a 4-0 shut-out. The 6'5" N-C ace held Almaden to 2 hits and no walks while throwing a complete game.
Then, came the final game of the championship, with the winner going to the Regionals. Almaden took the lead in the first inning when Codie O'Connell singled and scored on Justin Buller's double. In the third inning, Almaden added another when O'Connell singled and scored this time on Kavin Patel's hit. However, N-C tied the game in the bottom of the inning on a walk, single, and an error. Almaden didn't score again until the 5th inning when O'Connell reached base again, this time on an catcher's inteference, advanced on Patel's single, and was driven in by Tyler Champlin's double to deep right-center. Codie O'Connell pitched 5 strong innings, but ran out of pitches and was replaced by J.D. Correa who would finish the game.
Almaden took the 3-2 lead into the bottom of the 7th inning, but it didn't last. With one out, the N-C eighth hitter doubled to left-center, then scored on an Almaden throwing error when the next batter put the ball in play. Amazingly, the 3-3 tied game held all the way through the 9th inning when N-C loaded the bases with no outs. But, Correa pitched out of it and the game eventually made it to the 10th inning. In the bottom of the 10th inning, the N-C lead-off batter was hit by a pitch and advanced on an infield flare over the pitcher's head. The next batter laid down a bunt, the throw went wide to first base, and the N-C lead off hitter scored the winning run. It was a tough, heart-breaking loss for Almaden, but they were able to hold their heads high for battling through a marathon game against N-C and coming within 2 outs of heading to Los Angeles.
Wednesday, January 28
Introducing the Little League Challenger Division
Our Little League District (#12) has established a new division this year called the "Challenger Division". This division offers youth with special needs an opportunity to participate in an organized baseball program. It serves children ages 5-18 regardless of disability, giving them an opportunity to be a part of a team. Furthermore, it provides a structured athletic program, incorporates "Buddies" from the Major Division and surrounding communities, and presents opportunities for these children to experience the joys of pulling together as a team, being cheered, and earnings awards for their achievements.
This program welcomes any special need. Sign-ups will occur on February 8th, 6pm, at Round Table Pizza at Camden and Union. For more information, please contact Michelle Martinez at 408.268.0744.
Saturday, October 11
2009 Rule Changes Concerning Little League Bats
Little League International has introduced some new rules for the 2009 season concerning what type of bats can be used in Little League games. First, all bats need to have printed on them a BPF of 1.15 or less. BPF stands for Bat Performance Factor which is a rating concerning how well the baseball comes off the bat on contact. Bats with a BPF of over 1.15 are considered to be too "lively" (i.e. the ball comes off the bat too fast) and they become a safety issue.
The other change concerns the size of a baseball bat used in the juniors division of Little League. For the 2009 season, baseball bats in juniors cannot have a diameter of 2 3/4 inches. All bats in juniors must have a 2 5/8 inch diameter to be considered legal. Click HERE to see a list of the Little League equipment rules for 2009.
Thursday, July 24
Juniors All-Stars End With a Loss in the Semi-Finals
The Almaden juniors all-stars ended a long run on Wednesday night with a loss to Rocklin in the semi-finals of the state tournament. It was tough loss in a very close game.
Almaden took the lead in the first inning when Conner Jauch reached on a error, stole a base, and scored on James Kahn's RBI single. Almaden struck again in the third inning after Jauch walked and Kahn drove him in again with a single. Later Robbie Zipp hit into a fielder's choice to score Kahn.
Rocklin managed to score one in the 4th and two in the 6th inning to tie the game, despite a solid performance on the mound by Nick Medeiros. Conner Jauch came in to relieve Medeiros late in the sixth inning. With the score tied 3-3 in the bottom of the 7th inning, Rocklin lead off with a double and a bunt single putting the winning run at 3rd with no outs. After a pop-up and a walk, the bases were loaded with 1 out. Jauch struck out the next batter to nail down the second out. With bases still loaded, two outs, the count went 3-and-2 on the batter and the tension came to a peak. The runners were going on the pitch and the batter hit a tough ground ball to short-stop. With the runners going on the pitch, there was only one place to go: first base. The throw went wide left and first baseman, Nick Medeiros, made a valiant attempt to snag it and tag the base, but it was too late. Rocklin wins 4-3. The final score exemplified how tight Almaden played its games in the last two tournaments, having played in five one-run games in their last seven. Hats off to the juniors all-stars and their great run in three different tournaments.
Tuesday, July 22
Seniors and Juniors All-Stars State Tournament Update (Tuesday)
On Tuesday night, the Almaden Seniors all-stars played their 4th game in as many days. Unfortunately, they fell behind early 4-0 and were unable to overcome the deficit. The final score was 8-6. It was a loss to Niles-Centerville, a team which they had beaten on Saturday. Because this was Almaden's second loss in the tournament, they were unfortunately eliminated. However, hats off to a great Seniors team which won District, won Sectionals, and had some tough breaks in the State-level tournament. For as many 15 year olds as they had on the 15/16 year old team, they had a great run for such a young team.
Also on Tuesday night, the Almaden Juniors all-stars played their 3rd game in as many days against a team from Benecia. After having a number of nail-biting, one-run games, Almaden exploded for 15 hits in five innings to beat Benecia by a score of 14-1. Brad Kuh pitched 4 solid innings and Nick Medeiros added an inning of his own to hold Benecia to 3 hits and one run. Almaden will play Rocklin in the semi-finals on Wednesday, 5:30pm, at Willow Glen High School.
Tuesday, July 22
Seniors and Juniors All-Stars State Tournament Update (Monday)
On Monday night, both the Almaden Seniors and Juniors kept their State championship hopes alive by winning late in their respective games. The Seniors overcame a 3-2 deficit in the 6th inning in come-from-behind victory. In that inning with 2 outs, Ryan O'Malley doubled in 2 runs to give Almaden a 4-3 lead. Right afterwards, Frankie Wilson singled in O'Malley to give Almaden a 5-3 lead after 6 innings. Almaden added a couple more to end the game with a 7-4 victory. Trevor Marino pitched 6 strong innings and Daniel Rodriguez finished off the last inning to get the save. The Seniors team will play tonight against Niles-Centerville, which they beat on Saturday.
The Juniors team won yet another nail-bitter on Monday night by a score of 3-2. In the third inning, Conner Jauch singled home Brad Kuh to score the first run. The Olivehurt-Linda team tied it up in the bottom of the inning right before Almaden took the lead in the 4th inning. In that inning, Robbie Zipp singled and scored a wild throw. Moments later, Michael Rocca drove in James Kahn which would end up being the winning run. Tyler Champlin allowed one earned-run in 6 2/3 innings with Brad Kuh closing out the game with a strike-out. The Juniors team will play tonight against Benecia, 5:30pm at Willow Glen High School.
Sunday, July 20
Seniors and Juniors All-Stars State Tournament Update (Sunday)
On Saturday night in Sacramento, the Almaden Seniors played their first game in the Califorina Divisional tournament. Playing under the lights at 8pm, the Almaden team beat Niles-Centerville by a score of 12-7. The Seniors played their next game on Sunday evening against a team from Oakland. Unfortunately, the Seniors lost 4-3 after a mounting a comeback in the last inning and suffering through a great deal of controversy throughout the game. They will play again on Monday at 8pm. If they win, they gone on to Tuesday's game, otherwise their tournament is over.
The Juniors all-star team played its first State tournament game on Sunday, 10am, at Willow Glen High School against Tracy Little League. After slipping behind 3-0 through the first 5 innings, the Juniors team started its comeback. Conner Jauch reached on a error in the 6th inning and scored on Morgan Newby's double. Newby scored on Robbie Zipp's single to close the gap going into the top of the 7th. In the 7th, Almaden tied the game on an RBI double by Tyler Champlin. But, in the bottom of the 7th, Tracy drew a walk, stole second base, an eventually scored on a fly ball down the right-field line that dropped fair by a foot. Almaden lost a heart-breaker, 4-3. The Juniors will play on Monday against Olivehurst-Linda at 6pm. If they win, they gone on to Tuesday's game, otherwise their tournament is over. Click HERE for bracket/results.
Saturday, July 12
Seniors and Juniors Win Sectional Championship on 7/16
Both the Almaden Seniors and Juniors all-stars won their Sectional Championship on Wednesday night (July 16th). The Senior all-stars won big over Serra by a score of 13-1. Justin Buller hit a towering 2-run HR in the first inning to start things off and also pitched a 5-inning complete game. The Senior team will head on to Sacramento to play Niles-Centerville in the Divisional tournament starting on Saturday at 8pm. Click HERE for game and location information. Click HERE for bracket/game information.
The Juniors all-stars beat a tough Hollister team by a score of 6-3 on Wednesday night. Brad Kuh pitched 6 strong innings and Andrew Todd came in to close it out for Almaden. Morgan Newby blasted a 3-run HR in the 5th inning to give Almaden some breathing room. Hollister loaded the bases up in the bottom of the 7th inning with one out before the last batter hit a ground ball up the middle that Conner Jauch fielded, tagged second, and threw to first base to end the game and clinch the Championship. The Juniors all-star team will play its first Divisional game on Sunday, 10am at Willow Glen High School. Almaden Little League is in District-12, which is in Section-5 of Division II. Click on "schedule" to see the games for the tournament.
Division Background Info:
There are two Little League Divisions in California, the NorCal Division and the SoCal Division, which make up the State tournament. Almaden is in the NorCal Division, along with about 400 other leagues. So, it's a big accomplishment to have both a juniors and seniors team representing Almaden in the NorCal Divisional tournament. (Click HERE for a list of all Districts in California, including their leagues.)
Wednesday, June 4
Junior All-Stars Clinch District 12 Championship
On Monday night, the Almaden Juniors all-star team went head to head with Lincoln Glen for the District 12 championship. Lincoln Glen scored 3 runs in the top of the first inning on a couple of walks and a couple of base hits. However, Almaden answered back in the bottom of the first with a run of their own on Conner Jauch's RBI ground out.
In the bottom of the second inning, Andrew Todd worked a base-on-balls and scored on a wild pitch. Later that inning, Almaden scored on James Kahn's RBI single and 2 more runs on Tyler Champlin's base hit, to put Almaden up 5-3. In the third inning, Almaden struck again for 2 more runs on RBI singles by Brad Kuh and James Kahn. The Juniors team added 2 more runs in the 4th inning on a near-HR by Robbie Zipp off the top of the fence and another RBI single from Brad Kuh.
At the end of 4 innings, Almaden was up 9-3. Tyler Champlin, in relief from the top of the 2nd, pitched 1-hit, shut-out baseball until the middle of the 5th when Lincoln Glen staged a comeback with a walk and a double. Conner Jauch came in to pitch the 2+ innings to secure the victory. Almaden did add 3 more runs in the 5th off of Robbie Zipp's 2-RBI double and Andrew Todd's RBI double.
The Junior's team will move on the Sectional tournament playing at North Milpitas Little League on Saturday, 10am.
Tuesday, July 8
Senior All-Stars Clinch District 12 Championship
The Almaden Senior All-Stars won the District 12 championship over Branham Hills All-Stars 10-2. Almaden combined a complete game pitching performance, timely hitting and solid defense to secure the win and advance to sectionals hosted by District 44. Justin Buller pitched all 7 innings, striking out 7 batters in a masterful 91-pitch outing.
Almaden jumped in front in the second inning on clutch 2-out hitting by David Rosas after singles by Codie O'Connell and Daniel Rodriguez. JD Correa drove in Rosas to make it 3-0 after 2 innings of play. Almaden widened the lead to 5-0 with big hits by Ryan O'Malley (double), Justin Buller (triple) and Brandon Hecke. Branham Hills was unable to score after scattering a few hits only to be stopped by key defensive plays by Almaden. Clutch hits from Codie O'Connell, Hecke (triple) and Correa lifted Almaden to a seemingly insurmountable 8-0 lead for Almaden. However, Branham Hills battled back to make it 8-2 in the fifth inning. Almaden responded with 2 of its own to finish the scoring.
In all, Almaden had a tidy 10 hit offensive performance to go with great pitching and defense. Manager Tarun Patel, Coaches Dean Correa and Mike Rodriguez celebrated with their Almaden Seniors and look forward to their sectional game this coming Saturday (7/12). [Re-cap by Kevin O'Malley]
Monday, May 19
Almaden Thunder Win District-12 Juniors TOC
The Almaden Thunder from the Juniors division clinched the District 12 championship by beating Willow Glen in a nail-biting, 10-8, comeback game on Thursday, May 22nd. This was accomplished after coming back to beat Lincoln Glen, 5-3, the night before. The Thunder ended the regular season with a 12-3 record. They went on the play 3 games in the District tournament to earn the championship.
Friday, December 19
Almaden Little League Tee-Shirt Information
Almaden Little League tee-shirts are available for ordering. Support our league by purchasing Almaden Little League tee-shirts for your family and friends. Click the tee-shirt picture for an order form and more information.
Monday, March 10
Almaden Little League Commemorative Bricks
A great way to be a sponsor for Almaden Little League is to purchase a commemorative brick to be mounted at our Major's field. When purchasing a commemorative brick, you get to add text to the brick to create a long lasting memory. You can add players' names, coaches' names, team names, company names, etc.
There are two sizes for the bricks - a medium (individual's) version and a large (Sponsor's) version (see photo to the right). For the individual brick order form, please click HERE. If you are interested in the larger, sponsor's brick order form, please click HERE.
Checks should be made to "Almaden Little League" and both check and form should be sent to Debbie Osborn at 1368 Via Del Los Grande, San Jose, CA 95120.
Friday, March 16
Sore Arms? Here's a recipe for a non-freezing ice-bag
Need a ice bag that won't freeze, but is still effective for those sore arms or other injuries? There is a way to prepare an ice bag that so that it is not only ready-to-go in your freezer, but it won't freeze solid making it easier to conform to the injured area.
Youll need 1 cup of new rubbing alcohol; the old stuff you have in the medicine cabinet has lost potency. Mix the alcohol with 4 cups of water and pour it into a 1 gallon zip lock bag, squeeze out all of the air. Place that into a second 1 gallon zip lock bag to prevent any leakage. Put this in the freezer overnight, it will not freeze hard. You will be able to form it any way you want depending on whether its an elbow, shoulder, etc. that youre icing.
When you are done, put it back in the freezer. Unless you puncture the bag it will last all season.
This never-freeze ice pack recipe was sent in by Mike Rodriguez.
Friday, March 23
Important Little League Parking Information
There are some important things to know about parking at the various Little League sites in Almaden Valley:
1) Don't leave your valued possessions (including children and pets) locked behind in cars. Last year there were several break-ins in Almaden Little League fields. Thieves will sometimes watch to see if you leave your car with your purse. If you don't, they will break in and look for it.
2) Only park in legal parking spots. Do not block school or residential driveways. We need to be considerate of residential homes bordering our fields if we want them to be considerate of our parking needs. Also, no cars should be driven up onto school black-tops for the sake of parking. Only use the street and designated parking lots.
3) Foul balls have a way of finding windshields. Be careful how close you park to a game or practice field.
Be Your Team's Web-Page Admin -- It's Easy!
Each team in Almaden can have one or more web-page administrators. Eteamz makes it easy so that you don't have to know JAVA or HTML to make a cool looking web-site, including updating your team's scores. Eteamz provides a simple walk-through tutorial (click HERE to view) to assist admins. It's easy to upload photos and documents, to add events to your team's calendar, to post team messages and more. If you are interested, please let your team manager know. If you have any questions, click on the "webmaster" link to the left and forward them on.
Tuesday, March 14
Ask the Umpire
Got questions about Little League rules and regulations? Then ask Almaden Little League's Chief Umpire, Larry Gomez. Larry has been around the league for quite a while and has extensive training in umpiring, not only with respect to the rules, but also the mechanics of umpiring.
Go to the "Message Boards" link on the left panel, and you can read various topics of interest and also post questions or replies of your own.
Wednesday, May 10
Warning! Car Break-Ins At Baseball Fields
Unfortunately, some of Almaden Little League's fields have been too opportunistic for thieves looking for a quick buck. There have been several car break-ins reported at both the AA field and the AAA/Majors field. Parents are advised to not leave any valuables in your cars. It is even suspected that the thieves are watching to see if women leave their automobiles with purse in hand, and if they don't, they break in looking for it. So, remember to take your valuables with you when to go to the game. If you see any suspicious activity at our fields, don't hesitate to call 911.
Wednesday, June 20
Braves and Marlins Battle in 2007 District Championship Game
The undefeated Almaden Braves took on the Almaden Marlins in the District Majors TOC Championship game at Quito Little League. The Braves struck first on a solo HR by Maxwell in the first inning. The Marlins tied it up an inning later on a bases-loaded walk. In the fourth inning, the Braves turned a two-out rally into a 4-1 lead. Maxwell and Bellinger both doubled to drive runs in. The Marlins tied it up in the fourth inning. By the 5th inning, both starting pitchers, Maxwell and Bell, had run out of pitches. The Braves loaded the bases in the bottom of the 5th inning and scored 4 more (two on a single by Santamoor). Rocca pitched the final inning, holding the Marlins at bay and preserving the 8-4 victory.
For a series of game photos, click HERE or go to "Photo Albums" on the left and select the Braves/Marlins game at the bottom. It's best to view the photos in slide-show format.
Tuesday, July 17
Incredible Finish to 2007 All-Star Championship Game
The Almaden Majors-North allstar team met the Almaden Majors-South team for the District championship game in July. The game turned out to be an incredible slugfest with both teams scoring a total of 34 runs. Ryan Perry started on the mound for the South and Brett Hausmann started for the North. They pitched very well, giving up very few walks, but the Almaden bats were on fire that evening.
Both teams exchanged the lead throughout the game. After 3 innings, the game was tied at 10-10. At that point, HRs had been hit by Ryan Perry and Eric Caldwell. The South jumped ahead in the 5th inning 14-12. In the top of the 6th inning, Ryan Brown drove a solo HR to center to bring the North to within one run. The North managed to load the bases with 2 outs and Nakano worked a walk to tied the game 14-14. Hausmann (pictured above) drove a double off the left-center wall to give the North a 16-14 lead. However, the South bats exploded in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases with 3 straight singles. Then, Travis Painter stepped up and hit a walk-off, grand-slam to left-center to give the South a 18-16 win and the District championship. The game featured tremendous hitting, great defensive plays, and a well-pitched game by both sides. Game photos will be viewed HERE (use "slide-show" for best results). The South will head to Lincoln Glen on Friday in their first Sectional All-Star game.
You can also click HERE or on the link to the left to access the game-by-game updates for all Almaden all-star teams.
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