Photo by Bob Keys, Special to the Town Crier
Pirates pitcher Alexandre Alepin (left) covers home and tags out a Mets runner.
Town Crier Staff Writer
As a team ventures deeper into the playoffs, the opposition is suppose to get tougher and the games tighter.
This was not the case for the Los Altos Hills Little League Pirates.
The Pirates faced their biggest challenges in the first two rounds of the Tournament of Champions, winning one-run games in the bottom of the sixth inning.
The local team then blew out its final two opponents last week to capture the District 44 Minors crown.
The Pirates capped a perfect 21-0 season July 1 with a 10-0 rout of the Santa Clara Westside Mets at Kennedy Junior High in Cupertino. The game was called in the fifth on the new 10-run "mercy" rule.
"We had everybody hitting and everybody contributing," said Pirates head coach Kevin Felch. "Our two pitchers were phenomenal. It was just a great overall performance."
Pitchers Alexandre Alepin and Jonathan Chang combined for a no-hitter in the title game. Starter Alepin pitched three hitless innings and then Chang came in to close the door on Santa Clara.
Only two Mets reached base all night, doing so on walks in the first.
Jaerin Delaney helped keep the no-hitter intact with several sparkling plays at shortstop, according to Felch.
Delaney, Chang and third baseman Alan Scott provided the offensive fireworks.
Scott went 3-for-4, which included a bases-loaded double. Chang drilled a ground-rule double and an RBI single. Delaney had two hits in one inning and also excelled on the base paths.
The Pirates led 1-0 after the first, then exploded for eight runs on six hits an inning later.
"I'm just amazed by how well we hit the ball, even our smaller guys," Felch said.
The Pirates' semifinal win June 29 against Campbell came just as easy.
Los Altos Hills again won 10-0, and the game was called after four innings due to the mercy rule. Alepin started and didn't yield a hit in three innings, while Chang sparked the offense with a double and triple.
The Pirates received stiffer tests in their two previous playoff games.
They opened with a hard-fought 6-5 victory over the Los Altos American Orioles.
"In my opinion, that was our hardest match," said Pirates assistant coach Jerry Scott. "Los Altos had a very good team."
The Pirates followed that with another nail-biter, a 9-8 win against Sunnyvale Metro.
The Pirates, who have players ranging from 9-12 years old, received a championship trophy last Monday before the first district all-star game in Santa Clara.
Along with the players mentioned above, the Pirates roster consisted of Trevor Felch, Kyle Macomber, Chris Gumbrecht, Alex Schreiner, Adam Garcia, Justin Steinman, Ryan Mendez and Jeff Neil.