Season ends for Hanford Ruth 15s

EL SEGUNDO -- The Hanford Babe Ruth 15-year-old All-Stars' impressive postseason run ended Wednesday night at the Pacific Southwest Regionals tournament. The Central State champions dropped an 8-3 decision to host El Segundo in an elimination game, ending the most successful season for a Hanford 15 Babe Ruth team in eight years. That squad also captured the Central State title before losing in Pacific Southwest Regionals play, also in El Segundo.

Jesse Gonzalez finished 2-for-3 with two runs batted in, while Gage Dominguez and Brandon Putnam each had a hit and run scored in the elimination loss. Jacob Colby collected Hanford's other hit.

Tuesday night, Hanford dropped a heartbreaking 3-2 decision to Torrance in a winner's bracket clash. The Southern California team scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth.

Gonzalez belted a solo home run in the fourth inning to tie the game at 2, and Dalton Silva had an RBI single in the first to open the scoring. Aaron Oliveira's single was Hanford's only other hit.

Silva took the hard-luck pitching loss, throwing a complete game 5-hitter striking out six and walking just one.

Hawaii and Torrance were the two unbeaten teams after two days of play, and the tournament is scheduled to wrap up Saturday night. The winner advances to the Babe Ruth World Series later in August.

(Aug. 1, 2008)