The Lemon Grove Senior League All-Stars are ripping through the competition on their way toward a regional championship. The baseball team trounced Arizona 9-0 in Game 7 of the tournament Thursday at Jay Littleton Ballpark in Ontario, CA.
“All we had to do is hit the ball, and we did,” winning pitcher Deandre Simpson told KUSI News. “The defense is there, and it always will be there.”
The 13-player strong team is comprised of 14- to 16-year-olds who have come up through the league’s divisions starting with T-ball when they were all 5-year-old boys, Lemon Grove Little League president Art Martinez said.
“This is a team that’s been together for a while now,” he said.
Rather than pick and choose the best players to create an all-star lineup, the team came together out of sheer luck—the players are all the required age for a Senior League team.
“We’re going with what we’ve got,” Martinez said.
And what they’ve got seems to be working.
“They’re amazing,” Martinez said. “All I can say is ‘wow.’”
The Senior League All-Stars continue their run for the regional title at 3 p.m. Friday when they take on Nevada in the 2012 Little League Western Regional Senior Tournament.
To help support the team on the road and defray travel costs for the players and their families, a car wash fundraiser will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday at , 1415 Skyline Drive.
Pool play wraps up Sunday with the team facing off against Hawaii. The game starts at 6 p.m. Check the media box for the bracket.
Check the LGLL website for a KUSI video clip of the team's win.
The Senior League Baseball World Series will be held Aug. 11-18 in Bangor, ME.
