RAMON ALVARADO

A 4-run second inning was enough to secure the victory for Placentia-A over Placentia-B in the Pony-13 West Zone Championship Game at York Field.

Placentia-A had the bases loaded when a Evan Rolbiecki hit ball slipped passed the Placentia-B first baseman. The slippage rattled the Placentia-B team and caused an error, clearing the bases for Placentia-A.

The play made it a 4-1 game in favor of Placentia-A, and they didn’t look back.

“That’s classic Placentia-A baseball,” Coach Jason Nicoletti said about the team’s second inning outburst.

“Once someone starts hitting, you can hear everybody on the sideline, you can hear everybody in the dugout… and with these kids, there’s just a volume of love for one another. They go out there and they take care of business, they work as a team, they’re not selfish, they sacrifice for each other… and that’s what makes us a good team.”

The Placentia-A team has been together very long, but it’s easy to see the chemistry the boys have. Right from the first pitch of the game, the Placentia-A boys were heard chanting in the dugout.

“These past three-to-four months have just been incredible. They started off pretty much not knowing each other, and now I hear them talking at night on the phone to each other, pumping each other up,” Coach Nicoletti said.

“They always got each other’s back, and I never hear one bad thing said about another kid. It’s pure love for each and every one of them, so it’s pretty neat to see.”

Placentia-A now looks to keep their hot streak going as they enter the Pony-13 World Series. They’ll be playing on familiar grounds at York Field, but will be facing foreign opponents.

Los Mochis (Sinaloa, Mexico), San Cristobal (Dominican Republic) and the defending Pony-13 Champions from Seoul (Korea) will all be competing in the 2018 Pony-13 World Series, along with representatives from the East, North and South Zones of the U.S.

Coach Nicoletti has a clear message for his Placentia-A team heading into the big tournament:

“Hey, continue the game. There’s going to be no high-highs, no low-lows. We’re just going to keep steady, be the team I know we can be and just see where we land.”

The Placentia, California winners will face the North Zone representative in their first matchup of the Pony-13 World Series. The game is set to start at 4:30 p.m. at York Field in Whittier, CA.

The entire Pony-13 World Series will be live-streamed via YourGameCam.Com, and live stats and updates will be available via GameChanger.