Folsom National Junior Dodgers fall to Hangtown

Heading into the District 54 Little League Junior Championship game Friday, the Folsom National Dodgers had beaten Hangtown three times during the regular season, 11-10. 7-6 and 9-0, but yet it was Hangtown with the advantage. Those losses seemed to motivate Hangtown, as they jumped out to a 5-1 win over the second inning and went on to beat Folsom National win the championship, 9-6. As so often is the case, Folsom National starting pitcher Trent Vonderwerth got the first two outs of the second inning before allowing a run to score, but couldn't get the third, as three walks and two singles drove in five runs. Folsom National was able to get one run back in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Hunter Arrieta, but left two runners on. Hangtown added a run to its lead in the top of the fifth inning, but Folsom National's bats woke up in the bottom of the fifth, as the team scored five runs to tie the game. Leadoff hitter Tobias Rivera ripped a two-run single and two batters later Nick Stone slapped a two-run double to make it 6-5. Stone then scored to tie the game when he stole third and advanced to home on an error. The Dodgers were a hit away from taking the lead, but Hangtown pitcher Eli Edwards got out of the inning with a strikeout. Hangtown was able to score three runs in the top of the seventh, as leadoff hitter Tristan Shelton put Hangtown in front for good with an RBI hit. Edwards followed two batters later with a two-run double. Folsom National failed to score in the bottom of the seventh. "Those guys were fired up," Folsom National coach Stephen Chin said. "We beat them three times this season and they were ready to go. They were beating all the other top teams too and riding momentum and they played a better game than us." Despite the loss, it was still a good season for Folsom National, as they ended the season with an 11-3-1 record. "We were really a tight unit," Chin said. "We had excellent hitting and mainly rode our pitching. It was a good season."