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Last updated
12-28-09 04:23 PM
 
Palmdale Little League
(661) 285-2166
P.O. Box 900732
55th Street East & Avenue R-4
Palmdale, California
93590
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Monday, August 1
2005 Senior Baseball All Stars - One step away from World Series
One step away from World Series
This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press on Monday, August 1, 2005.
By ALAN HENDRY Valley Press Staff Writer
Big things were expected of the Palmdale Little League Baseball Major All-Stars. Sure the players are 15- and 16-years old, but those players, on the Junior All Stars last summer, advanced to the state championship. Palmdale didn't win a state title this year, but it did advance to the Western Regional in Beaverton, Ore. The team will compete in an eight-team, pool-play format with the winner advancing to the Little League World Series in Maine, beginning on Aug. 15. Palmdale begins play in the regional today against Nevada at 7 a.m.. The top two teams from each pool will face off in the championship on Aug 10. Also competing in the regional are teams from Idaho, Oregon, Arizona, Washington and Northern California. Palmdale is the lone representative from Southern California. Palmdale went 10-0 in advancing to the Western Regional, winning the Area 4, District 51, Section 2 and Division 3 titles. "The hitting has been outstanding," Palmdale coach Buddy Smith said. "They are all hitting over .300. The pitching has been outstanding and they have played flawless defense." Palmdale was especially hot during its four games in the divisional round, culminating with a 7-2 win over East Anaheim on Thursday in the championship game. Palmdale hit nine home runs in the four games of the divisional in Highland, four by Trevor Bloom, including a grand slam, and three by Kyle Kittenger. Kittenger and Ryne Smith both homered in the win over East Anaheim. The Palmdale defense committed only two errors in those four games, to back up the pitching staff of Michael Tonkin, Kittenger, Bloom, Eddie Lopez, Jason Nagle and Travis Casey. Other players on the team include Devon House, Juan Avina, Sean Sweeney, Michael Figueroa, Phillip Nelms, Robert Ordaz and Malcom Culver. The players are drawn from Palmdale Pony Little League team and the majority of players are from Palmdale High, seven of which played on the varsity baseball team this season. "Some of these kids have been playing together since they were 5," said Smith, a longtime youth coach, who coached many of the players this year in American Legion. "I've been coaching most of these kids here since they were 10. "We finally got the bounces. We hit the ball like we needed to hit. We've been close before and now we're looking forward to going up." Smith said it was the furthest a District 51 baseball team has advanced, hoping to follow in the large footsteps of some of the District 51 softball teams that have advanced to the World Series. "God knows, softball has been there forever," Smith joked. The team had to quickly raise funds in order to make the trip on Saturday, having won the Division 3 title on Thursday. Smith said teams are responsible for all their travel expenses until they reach the World Series, when Little League begins to pick up the tab.
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