Mustang All-Stars Fall in Super Region

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

All summer long the Pacific Palisades Baseball Association’s Mustang 10U All-Stars have been on a mission to become the first team in league history to reach the PONY International World Series.

As 9-year-olds last year the same group of boys got to the Zone playoffs, one step away from the World Series.

This year’s group, called the Blue Crew, took a 21-1 record into last weekend’s Super Region round in Placentia, hoping to be one of only two of the 16 teams in the tournament to advance to the Zone playoffs.

After edging East Long Beach 4-3 in their first game, the Blue Crew lost 15-5 to eventual champion Costa Mesa, dropping them to the consolation bracket. Palisades defeated East Valley 15-5 before knocking out East Long Beach 10-4 and San Marcos Maroon 15-5 to set up a showdown with Simi Valley. The winner would play for second place, and in the end Simi Valley prevailed 7-5.

Head coach Dave Hoffman’s squad finished 4-2 in the Super Region draw, and finished the summer with a 32-4 record and five tournament championships, including first-place trophies at the Section 3 tournament at the Field of Dreams and the North Region playoffs in Camarillo, while outscoring the opposition 367-124.

“Our season came to an end in extra innings against Simi Red, with the winner going on to Zones,” Hoffman said. “The boys represented the Palisades with sportsmanship, class and pride that should make the community proud. We’re pretty sure no Pal team has won 30 games in a season before.”

The Blue Crew’s roster was made up of Henry Wyman, Will Hill, Dylan Hartunian, Blake Milinovich, Perrish McGinn, Jackson Moore, Remy Moore, Wil Hoffman, Sam Foster, Ethan Montminy, Hudson Tucker, Max Yost, Cy Murphy, Isaac Ungerleider and Kellen Whalen.

Over the last two summers, Hoffman’s bunch has posted a stellar 60-13 record. 

Meanwhile, the PPBA’s Mustang 9U All-Stars also fell just short of a Zone berth in Walnut. Coach Darren Wald’s team won its first three games 13-9, 11-3 and 18-9 before falling to Torrance 10-6 in the finals of the winner’s bracket, then losing a rematch with Simi Valley Red 18-9 in a battle for the runner-up spot.