The Hastings Little League baseball team’s time in the international spotlight ended Tuesday morning, as the club was eliminated from the Little League World Series after dropping its second contest in as many days.
The death knell came by way of a 7-1 defeat to Team Mexico, a loss that was preceded by a 10-0 defeat to Team Asia-Pacific, represented by South Korea, on Monday night.
After upsetting Team Japan with a 10-4 win last week, the Hastings crew could only muster two hits in its final pair of games and finished the tourney with a 1-2 record.
“We just couldn’t hit today and we were really frustrated by their pitching,” team manager Vito Bordignon told the Courier from Williamsport, Penn. “The pitching was far superior to what we were used to seeing. We couldn’t rebound fast enough to gain some momentum in these last two games.”
Mexico pounced on Hastings in the third inning, knocking in four runs. Pitcher Victor Juarez held the Vancouver team hitless through three innings, striking out seven batters.
Stefano Dal Sasso absorbed the loss on the mound for Vancouver: he struck out two and allowed five runs in three innings’ worth of work.
Hastings’ lone win last week was historic, as the 10-4 decision represented Team Japan’s first loss in an opening round game since 1965. In that game, Loreto Siniscalchi fanned 13 batters and allowed six hits. Offensively, the 13-year-old Burnaby native hit a solo home run and notched a single. Nathan Clegg and Cristian Santarelli also drove in a pair of runs each.
The team will return home on Aug. 28.
“It’s a wonderful experience just being here,” Bordignon said. “We’re treated like royalty and everyone has been really appreciative with our level of play. This is the experience of a lifetime, and these kids will take away many, many memories that they’ll have for the rest of their lives.”
jkurucz@vancourier.com
@JohnKurucz
