The biggest of swings in an early inning and the softest of taps in the last inning lifted the Malibu Little League’s Diamondbacks to an 8-7 victory over the Ladera Little League’s Pirates at Malibu Bluffs Park on April 21.
Asher Katz hit a three-run homer in the third inning to give Malibu a six-run lead, and after Ladera stormed back to tie the contest at seven, Cade Harper’s quasi-bunt drove in the game-winning run at the bottom of the sixth inning.
Cade’s game-winning RBI happened with two strikes against him. He said he just wanted to make contact with the ball.
“It was pretty fun,” Cade said.
Diamondbacks manager Duross O’Bryan called Cade’s victory-grabbing play a “half-hit.”
“He checked his swing and hit the ball,” O’Bryan said. “It just shows you have to play every play to the very end.”
The ball Cade hit didn’t travel far from the batter’s box he was standing in and was corralled quickly by Ladera’s pitcher. However, the player seemed confused as to where to throw the ball to get the final out of the inning. In those indecisive moments, Asher, who started the play on third base, crossed home plate to score the winning run.
The 12-year-old said he was just trying to be aggressive when he scored.
“That’s how you win the game,” Asher said. “I thought the pitcher was going to throw it home, but he didn’t.”
There was nothing indecisive about Asher’s three-run smack earlier in the meeting. The pitcher and first baseman stepped up to the plate and knocked the ball out of the park.
Asher said he never swings for the fences, though.
“My approach is to always hit it hard up the middle,” he said, adding that it’s not his first multirun homer in a game.
O’Bryan said Asher is the Diamondbacks’ star player. The manager said Asher hit a couple of home runs in practice the day before the matchup with Ladera.
“He will hit four or five of them this year,” O’Bryan said. “He has just been dominating, and he’s been using a wood bat, believe it or not—not an aluminum bat.”
Declan O’Bryan, 11, a Diamondbacks pitcher and third baseman, said the highlights of the game were Cade’s last hit and Asher’s out-the-park bomb.
“It was awesome,” he said.
Quinn Carlesimo, 11, said he was happy for Cade.
“He’s a great hitter,” Quinn said. “He got a great chance and got a great hit. I’m really pumped up about that.”
The contest was one of five games Malibu Little League teams played against competition from outside of Malibu. The Dodgers, Orioles and Pirates played teams from Santa Monica, the White Sox defeated a squad from Culver Marina, 4-1, and the Braves downed a Thousand Oaks’ group, 11-6.
The Diamondbacks’ victory was over a team known as one of the better Little League teams in the Los Angeles area.
Asher said when he and his team of 11- and 12-year-olds saw the taller and bigger Ladera Pirates, initially they were intimidated.
“They are one of the best teams around,” Asher said. “When we saw them take infield at the beginning of the game, we thought we were going to lose, but this is a learning step. No matter how good the team is, you can play good, too, and you can win.”
Malibu was up, 4-1, when Asher hit the home run. With a 7-1 lead, the Diamondbacks cooled off at the plate. Their defense—led by pitchers Travis Kies and Makai Moody—held Ladera’s batters at bay. But things got peculiar. Malibu lost three catchers due to injury, then after Makai left the mound, the team, holding a 7-2 lead, struggled with pitching in the fifth and sixth innings.
The visiting Pirates scored one run in the fifth inning, and then four in the next inning.
The score was knotted at seven when Malibu got the chance to bat again. After Travis hit a single, Declan struck out. Then, Asher hit a pop-up deep in centerfield that became a double when the Ladera outfielder muffed the catch.
Ladera intentionally walked Makai. The next batter, Nicky Ladesich, bunted in the hope of driving the winning run home, but Travis was tagged out at home plate. The hit advanced Asher to third base.
Cade drove in Asher for the winning score a few moments later.
The Diamondbacks said they enjoyed playing against Ladera.
Quinn said playing unfamiliar squads adds a bit of mystery to the season’s schedule.
“You don’t know if they are going to be good or bad,” he said. “So, it’s really fun.”
The elder O’Bryan said playing squads from other Little Leagues allows his team the chance to get better. The coach said before the game he told his team to play the game to the very end.
“Every one of our kids thought that team was going to beat us,” he said. “Bigger team, more experienced team. I told them not to assume that.”
