So far, The Dalles Little League’s 12U All Stars are cruising right along in District 5 baseball action from Redmond.
In three games, the Stars are a perfect 3-0 and have outscored their opponents by a 39-9 margin, two of those wins coming in mercy-ruled fashion.
The Dalles plays the host team Redmond at 5 p.m. on Thursday in a tough semifinal showdown.
Redmond has defeated Bend North and Bend South for its semifinals berth.
Tuesday against Crook County, The Dalles trailed by a 4-3 margin and then led 7-4 through two innings, but broke things open with a nine-run third frame in a 16-6 mercy-ruled victory.
TD notched six hits, had three hit batters and took advantage of a fielding error in its third-inning onslaught, as 13 batters went to the plate.
Kade Wilson, Mason Caldwell and Andy Maney had singles, Wilson and Peyton Beeks each slugged doubles, and Nathan Hedges hit a three-run home run.
Seven players scored runs in the inning, and Manatu Crichton-Tunai reached twice after being hit by a pitch and he scored twice.
With his team ahead by 10 and a runner on second base in the fourth frame, Crichton-Tunai retired the final batter on a strikeout to lock down the win.
TD pitchers, Braden Schwartz, Riley Brock, Andy Maney and Crichton-Tunai combined to allow six runs, three earned, on four hits, four walks and four hit batters with nine strikeouts.
From his leadoff spot, Wilson spearheaded TD’s 13-hit barrage with a 3-for-3 effort from the plate. He hit a double, a single and a home run and scored three runs.
Beeks was 3-for-3 with two doubles, a home run and two runs scored, Braden Schwartz added two hits and three runs, and Styles DeLeon finished 2-for-4 with a double and two runs. Hedges went 1-for-2 with a walk, a run, a stolen base and a home run, Maney and Caldwell had a hit and a run each, Donivan scored a run, and Crichton-Tunai reached safely twice and scored two runs.
Saturday, the Stars scored seven first-inning runs in their tournament-opener, as DeLeon, Schwartz and Caldwell finished with a double apiece, and the quartet of DeLeon, Schwartz, Beeks and Hedges each scored two runs in TD’s 12-0 mercy-ruled victory over John Day River.
John Day River had two runners reach safely, on a first-inning double and a third-inning walk, but both were stranded.
Wilson struck out five in his 1 2/3 innings pitched to earn the winning decision.
In the fourth, Brock struck out the side on 19 pitches to seal the victory.
Coming off Saturday’s first-round shutout, The Dalles went to work against a gritty Jefferson County team, eventually breaking open a 1-1 tie through three and a half innings with a seven-run fourth frame in an 11-3 triumph.
Hedges led the third inning off with a solo home run and the next six batters reached safely on three singles, a walk, an error, a double and a triple.
TD would tack on two runs in the fifth and a single run in the sixth, as it totaled 12 hits, five going for extra bases.
Wilson was 3-for-4 with a double and three runs, DeLeon added three hits, one triple, and a run, and Schwartz posted two hits.
Beeks was 2-for-3 with a home run and a run scored, Hedges had two hits, one home run and a run scored, and Cesar Sanchez tallied a double, a walk and scored twice.
Brock, Donivan and Maney scored a run each, and both Brock and Maney had hits.
On the mound, Wilson tossed 4 1/3 innings of one-run, three-hit ball with seven strikeouts and no walks to pick up the win.
If The Dalles team defeats Redmond on Thursday, it moves into the finals for a 10 a.m. contest slated for Saturday.
The double elimination title game, if necessary, is set for 1 p.m. from field 2.
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