SO CAL BOMBERS CAPTURE 2006 RED ROCK TITLE
SUNDAY’S CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET FINAL
Canyons Complex, St. George, Utah – Red Rock Tournament
So Cal Bombers, CA – 7
Houston Aces, TX – 1
WP – Travis Price, Sean Whitten (4) & Ghostkeeper, Box (4)
LP – Wayne Wells & Gilmore
After finishing second in last year’s Red Rock tournament, Ralph Trejo’s So Cal Bombers reached the top of the mountain in 2006. The Bombers entered the championship game against the Houston Aces with a 10-1 win over The Bar of Appelton, Wisconsin, for a 5-0 record. They rallied from three runs down in a Sunday morning quarterfinal as Portland’s Evan Potskin staked them a lead with a 3 run homer. The Bombers got even on back-to-back-to-back solo homers, then took a 6-3 lead, which Portland trimmed to 6-5 in the 7th.
The Houston Aces arrived in the final with just one loss, a forfeit resulting from a late arrival Saturday morning due to confusion over the time zone differential from Las Vegas. The Aces rallied Saturday to win their pool and top seed, with a win over #20 ranked CR/Portland, Oregon, then two more wins over ISC ranked opponents Sunday, #22 ranked Team Raineyand the biggest upset of the tournament, a come-from-behind 4-2 win over # 5 ranked Patsy’s of New York, the highest ranked team in the tournament. Houston arrived in St. George ranked #33, but with two seasoned veterans, Wayne Wells and Jason Smith in the circle. The two pitched together last year for Happy Hollow, Wisconsin and moved over to Houston this year.
In the championship game, starting pitchers Travis Price and Wayne Wells threw three scoreless innings each, before the Bombers broke the ice in the 4th inning, scoring two runs. The Bombers’ Darren Box led off the inning with a single to center. Paul Walford followed with a single to right, and both scored on a two-RBI single to right by Raymundo Parra. Houston catcher Troy Gilmore got the Aces to within one with a solo home run over the centerfield fence. Houston then got their best look at the game when Benny Carmona followed Gilmore’s home run with a single to center, advancing to second on an infield error. Ben Duron legged out a bunt to load the bases. Enter pitcher Sean Whitten for the Bombers. Whitten struck out the next hitter and induced an inning ending force out at second base to escape the jam. It was as close as the Houston Aces would get, as the Bombers scored two more runs in the fifth on a double by Albert Mendibles, RBI single by Glen Ormsby, sacrifice by Darren Box and infield out, extending their lead to 4-1. The Bombers loaded the bases with one out in the 6th but did not score as veteran Wayne Wells pitched out of the jam. Houston could not figure out Whitten, who struck out 6 in 3 innings, including the side in the 5th, and yielded but one hit to pick up the save. The Bombers put the game out of reach in the 7th with three more runs on singles by Walford, Kelly Wenstrom and Rob McGiffin.
SUNDAY’S CONSOLATION BRACKET FINAL
Hogs, UT – 15
Hi Desert Dawgs, UT – 10
WP – Urqhart, Webb (4) & Bratnin
LP – G. Hone & Winterhalder
The Hogs of Utah are the Consolation Champions for the 2006 Red Rock Tournament.