Bronco Division team blasts its way to tourney crown
SEASIDE — When the schedule for the fifth Annual Memorial Day Bronco Tournament in Seaside was released, most could not help but notice two of Santa Clara County’s powerhouse Bronco Division teams were on opposite ends of the bracket.
The Thrill of Morgan Hill and the Rays of Blossom Valley would have to win four games to meet each other in Monday’s championship game — and they did just that.
Like a tennis player holding serve, Morgan Hill opened the tournament with a 10-0 victory over the defending Little League District 9 champions from Soledad. Patrick Muller pitched five dominant innings of one-hit ball for Morgan Hill. The Thrill’s offense was lead by Alejandro Torres, who went 3-for-3 batting and drove in two runs. The highlight of the game was Mike Porras’ towering home run that cleared the 240-foot fence in right-center field by 25 feet. Muller also chipped in a pair of hits and runs.
In the next two contests against North County and host Seaside, the Thrill put on a show of power pitching and hitting that would later bode well for them in the championship game. Morgan Hill outscored its two opponents by a combined score of 36-1.
Mark Quinby had five hits through the two games and scored three times. Bradley Higgins had three hits, and Torres had six, including a home run that ended up on the street beyond right field. Porras added his second and third homers of the tournament, which featured a prodigious grand slam, and Ethan Cox collected five hits and three RBIs. Morgan Hill pitchers Sam Aptekar, Josh Alaniz and Jack Affourtit struck out a combined 16 batters.
Monday’s semifinal game against the Titans of Monterrey was spirited through four innings. Ben Hughes and Domenic Zanotto singled and scored twice to help Morgan Hill out to an early 4-2 lead. Quinby added a pair of hits and a key RBI. The game was put out of reach in the sixth inning when Torres blasted his second round-tripper of the tournament, a three-run shot, which secured an 8-2 triumph for Morgan Hill. Quinby pitched five strong innings, and Torres closed out the Titans with two innings of scoreless relief.
In the title game against Blossom Valley, Morgan Hill coach Dave Affourtit gave the ball to Ethan Cox, who extended his scoreless-innings streak to 12 against the Rays. Cox struck out two and got clutch defense from Aptekar, Hughes and Cole Campi. Offensively, a pair of clutch two-out singles from Muller and Quinby gave the Thrill a lead that would not be relinquished. Torres, the tournament’s MVP, pitched the final three innings to preserve the 5-0 victory, and the championship.
