Ceres Youth Baseball Organization had four All-Star and four Blaze travel teams compete at the 54th George Costa Tournament, June 17-21, at Smyrna Park in Ceres.
ALL-STAR DIVISION
12s
The Antonio Malagon-led 12-and-under All-Stars delighted their home fans with a first-place showing.
“It felt good seeing the kids so happy,” he said. “It’s something they’re going to remember for a while.”
The All-Stars won all four of their games.
“The kids played their hearts out,” Malagon said. “They defended their home. It was fun to watch.”
Ceres defeated Gustine 10-2 for the championship on June 21.
“The kids did awesome,” Malagon said. “They played as a team.”
Ceres routed Bel Passi 16-1 in the semifinals on June 21.
The All-Stars compiled a 2-0 record in seeding play.
Ceres opened the tournament with a 14-2 win over Bel Passi on June 18.
Ceres beat Oakdale by the same score on June 19.
The All-Stars won titles in Ceres and Gustine this summer.
Ceres finished second at Bel Passi and Hilmar.
“This year’s team did so awesome,” Malagon said. “I had so much fun coaching them. They listened. When they were down, they always fought back.”
10s
The Rosario Espindola-led 10-and-under All-Stars claimed the Costa title.
“Our expectation was to win it,” he said. “We won the (Hilmar) tournament the week before.”
The All-Stars compiled a 4-1 record.
“The kids kept fighting until the very end, which was nice to see,” Espinodola said.
Ceres edged Hilmar 8-6 in extra innings for the title on June 21.
Tied at 5-5, the All-Stars scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning and dashed Hilmar’s hopes of a comeback.
Ceres also beat Hilmar in the finals of its home tournament.
“It was pretty exciting,” Espindola said while talking about his team’s recent performance against Hilmar.
Ceres overcame a one-run deficit in the sixth inning while posting an 8-7 victory over Newman in the semifinals on June 20.
“When situations get tough, the kids pull through,” Espindola said.
The All-Stars amassed a 2-1 record in seeding play.
Ceres defeated Newman 12-1 on June 17 and the Oakdale Ballers 12-6 on June 18.
The All-Stars lost 12-3 to Hilmar on June 20.
Ceres compiled a 12-3 record this summer.
The All-Stars captured titles in Ceres and Hilmar.
Ceres placed third at Bel Passi and Gustine.
“A lot of players got better,” coach Espindola said.
8s
The Ceres seven-year-old and eight-year-old All-Star teams placed second and fifth, respectively, in the eight-and-under coach-pitch bracket.
The Albert Lopez-led seven-year-old All-Stars lost 22-4 to Newman in the championship game on June 21.
The Ceres 7s posted a 3-1 record at their home tournament.
The Lopez All-Stars edged Hughson 8-7 in the semifinals on June 20.
The Ceres 7s shut out Bel Passi 16-0 on June 18 and Shiloh-Paradise 18-0 on June 17 in seeding play.
The Michael Riojas-led eight-year-old All-Stars lost 14-13 to Hughson in the quarterfinals on June 20.
“Even though we didn’t take first or second, the kids battled until the end,” he said. “I’m happy with their performance.”
The Ceres 8s posted a 1-2 overall record.
The Riojas All-Stars bested Gustine 16-15 and lost 15-5 to Hilmar on June 19.
“We have young kids,” Riojas stated. “We were looking to compete and have fun.”
TRAVEL DIVISION
14s
The Blaze had two teams reach the semifinals while competing in the travel bracket of the Costa tourney.
The Raul Mendoza-led Blaze 13-and-under squad finished in third place with a 1-3 record.
The Blaze 13s lost 13-4 to Gustine in the semifinals on June 21.
The Mendoza Blaze won one of three games in seeding play.
The Blaze 13s topped the Blaze 14s 11-1 on June 20.
The Mendoza Blaze lost 8-5 to Gustine on June 19 and 7-2 to Newman on June 18.
The David Rubio-led Blaze 14s compiled an 0-4 record on their way to a fourth-place finish.
The Blaze 14s lost 15-0 to Newman in the semifinals on June 21.
The Rubio Blaze lost 11-1 to the Blaze 13s on June 20, 15-2 to Newman on June 19 and 13-1 to Gustine on June 18 in seeding play.
10s
The Ismael Ontiveros-led Ceres Blaze nine-year-old team placed second in the 10-and-under bracket.
The Blaze posted a 3-1 record.
Ceres lost 9-7 to the Defenders in the finals on June 21.
The Blaze bested the Misfits 19-4 in the semifinals on June 21.
Ceres won a pair of games in seeding play.
The Blaze beat the Oakdale Broncos 9-2 and Misfits 17-2 on June 20.
8s
The Randy Wheeler-led Ceres Blaze finished in the top four at their home tournament.
The Blaze compiled a 1-2 record in the eight-and-under kid pitch bracket.
Ceres fell 8-7 to Brentwood in the semifinals on June 21.
The Blaze won one of two games in seeding play.
Ceres won its tourney opener, 8-4, versus Brentwood on June 20.
The Blaze dropped their second game, 9-1, to the Thunderbirds on June 20.
