Little League Baseball: Streator tops Ottawa American 5-0 to win District 20′s Major title

PERU – Through the opening scoreless four and a half innings of Sunday’s Major League Baseball District 20 championship game at Washington Park’s Bill Burris Field, the Streator and Ottawa American 12U all-star teams struggled to get much going.

Streator finally found a way in the bottom of the fifth.

Ben Mascote’s double to start the inning sparked a five-run rally for Streator before he finished his complete game by striking out the side in the top of the sixth to put the finishing touches on a 5-0 victory and a trip to the state tournament at Sterling next weekend.

Streator wrapped up the tournament going 4-0, while allowing just four runs.

[ Photos: Streator vs Ottawa American 11-12 year old baseball championship ]

“I was able to put my curveball on the outside corner a lot today,” said Mascote, who finished allowing just three hits, no walks and 11 strikeouts on 68 pitches. “I was trying to throw my fastball on the inside and then use my curve to hopefully get them to chase. I felt like I hit my spots really well today.”

Mascote’s aforementioned double off Ottawa American starting pitcher Rocco Affrunti landed just inside the left-field line to start the outburst.

“I had the mindset going up for that at-bat that I already had two strikes on me,” Mascote said. “I just wanted to make sure I swung at a good pitch. I got a pitch middle-in and was able to put the bat on it.”

Then, after an out, Noah Rodriguez smacked an opposite-field liner to right that fell just out of the fielder’s reach to plate Mascote with what proved to be the game-winning run.

“Oh yeah, that was me,” Rodriguez said after being reminded of his run-scoring double. “It was an outside pitch, and our coaches had just talked about concentrating on hitting the ball wherever it was pitched. I really wasn’t thinking about anything but that. I just wanted to see the ball and hit the ball.

“I guess it worked out.”

“Ben (Mascote) was as good as it gets for us on the mound. It seemed like whatever pitch in whatever location was called, he put it right where it needed to go.”

—  Randy McCloskey, Streator All-Stars manager

Zae Moton followed with a double to left to move Rodriguez to third. After Joey Studnicki walked the load the bases, Bradley Matsko had a two-run single up the middle to make it 3-0. Marshall Volkman followed with a line-drive, two-run single to left to end the scoring.

“We just couldn’t get much going the first four innings against [Affrunti],” Streator manager Randy McCloskey said. “He was on and did pitch really well. The games in this tournament our team seemed to take a while to get the bats going, for whatever reason. I think Ben’s hit to start the fifth really sparked everyone, and you could see all the kids’ confidence go up a notch. Sometimes when an opposing pitcher is throwing as well as [Affrunti] was, all it takes is one good hit and the wheels start turning.

“Ben was as good as it gets for us on the mound. It seemed like whatever pitch in whatever location was called, he put it right where it needed to go.”

Affrunti finished allowing seven hits and a walk, while striking out two. Donovin Dilley recorded a pair of strikeouts in relief and earlier in the game made a perfect throw from center field in the top of the fifth to get a runner going to third.

Ottawa American received singles from Ethan Farabaugh, Mason Collins and Kentley Smith. Streator’s Brody Daugherity recorded a pair of singles.

“Rocco pitched very well for us today. We couldn’t have asked much more from him,” Ottawa American manager James Markey said. “He was really solid, but so was their guy, and they just battled each other from the start.

“It was going to come down which team could put the ball in play the most, and Streator was able to do that in the fifth. They found some holes and were able to move runners around. We just couldn’t seem to get anything going with the bats today, but credit [Mascote], he pitched a very good game against us.”