Senior All-Star Team Wins Again

It took another enormous rally, but the Manhattan Beach Senior All-Stars were up to the task, rallying from a six-run deficit to claim a 10-9 victory over La Habra in extra innings thanks to a walk-off hit by Jackson Casady in the eighth.

The All-Stars, who have had a propensity for theatrics and large comebacks during their current drive toward another berth in the Senior League World Series, received clutch hits from a number of players.

The game-winner came off the bat of Casady, who had recently entered the game as a defensive replacement at first base for Turner Conrad, who moved to the mound in the seventh inning.

The All-Stars' manager Carlos Rojas described the game appropriately: “Nerve-wrecking!” and for good reason.

To begin the eighth, Garrett Wells pounded a pitch to centerfield for a double, but was thrown out trying to reach third base after a passed ball.

Despite losing their go-ahead runner in Wells, there was no quit in the seniors.

With one out, David Odle drew a walk from La Habra’s Daniel Sanchez. Odle then stole second and with two outs, Casady came to the plate.

“I was feeling the pressure, but was just trying to stay calm," said Casady. "The count was 2-1, and I just focused on staying down and going the opposite way and I did."

In the top half of the eighth, the All-Stars were saved by a brilliant play by Wells and catcher Greg French.

With two on and two out, La Habra’s Andy Pratt slashed a shot into right field where Wells coolly picked the ball up and threw a laser to French who snared the throw and applied a textbook tag on Jose Gomez at home plate to end the inning.

“I knew I couldn’t catch it, so I was trying to throw it hard through the cutoff man," said Wells. "It was close and my catcher made a great play."

The game ended on another intense note. With Kevin Lopez down to his team’s last strike in the bottom of the seventh, he slashed a single in to right field, bringing home teammates French and Jack Hadley to tie the game at 9-9.

“I felt calm," said Lopez. "I knew that he [Sanchez] had a fastball and a slider. The count was 1-2. I knew he was going to go with the slider and I just took it the other way and luckily it went through.”

Despite the adversity of a 9-3 deficit at one point in the game, the All-Stars' skipper preached positivity and a message of confidence.

“Coach Rojas told us after the third inning that he had all the confidence in the world in us and that we were going to win this game,” pitcher Cooper Griffith said.

Griffith, who admittedly experienced some butterflies warming up, was vital to keeping Manhattan Beach in the game, pitching brilliantly during five full innings of relief.

“I knew I had to throw strikes and leave it to the offense to come through in the clutch,” Griffith said.

Replacing starter Carter Casady, who lasted just an inning and two thirds, Griffith allowed just two runs by consistently pounding the strike zone.

“Moving forward, we have to throw strikes," Rojas had told his team. "We can only get so many of these comeback wins."

The All-Stars take the field vs. El Rio at 6:30 p.m. tonight at Marine Park.

With a win, Manhattan Beach can move into the Championship Game Wednesday night in the double-elimination North Sub Division Tournament.

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