SAN BERNARDINO — Isaac Ramirez very nearly made history.
Sweetwater Valley Little League’s No. 2 starting pitcher, Ramirez tossed a one-hitter and went 2 for 2 with two runs scored in a 6-0 victory over Hawaii’s Kawaihau Community Little League in a West Region semifinal on Tuesday night at Al Houghton Stadium.
“He’s our No. 2 but for most teams he’d be their No. 1,” Sweetwater Valley manager Steve Winnick said. “We truly have two No. 1s on our team (with Noah Kirk).”
Ramirez struck out five and walked two for Southern California’s 12-year-old champions, taking a no-hitter into the fifth inning before a ground ball ricocheted around the infield and was ruled a hit.
The young right-hander shrugged off the scorekeeper’s decision. He allowed just three base runners in the shutout.
“I’m just super confident in my team and the job they do behind me,” Ramirez said. “It makes me proud, the job they do backing me up.”
SVLL, from Bonita in San Diego County, has now won 10 consecutive games since the start of the sectional tournament and has earned a spot in the West Region championship game on Friday at 6 p.m. against either Hawaii or Arizona. Friday’s winner advances to the 20-team Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., which will be played from Aug. 19-30.
“It’s really fun playing with these guys because you know someone’s going to make a play when we need it,” Kirk said. “We’re going to come out even stronger on Friday.”
SoCal’s defense played its role in holding Hawaii off of the scoreboard. Left fielder Asher Giglio reacted quickly to grab a line drive in the first inning, and the infield stayed locked in with third baseman Tempe Tran snapping up a screamer to end the fourth. Kirk, playing shortstop, made another big play for the second out in the fifth.
“First-pitch strikes were huge, but I was just putting the ball in the zone, letting them hit and letting my defense work,” Ramirez said.
With two outs in the fifth, Hawaii’s Daeshaan Kuhaulua laced a ball toward first baseman Jesus Cuadra, who got his glove down, deflecting the ball to his right, but second baseman Mateo Ruiz missed the scoop and kicked the ball over the foul line.
An ‘H’ was quickly placed on the scoreboard, indicating the ruling.
“I’ll still think of it as a no-hitter,” Winnick said. “What an unbelievable performance, though.”
Ramirez provided plenty of his own offensive support, singling to left field and scoring on a bases-loaded walk in the second to give SoCal a 1-0 lead. He later singled to right field and scored on a wild pitch in the fourth for a 2-0 lead before SVLL went on to score two more runs in the inning.
Kirk (2 for 3) doubled off the top of the wall – “I thought it was leaving,” he said – and scored on Leo Gonzales’ RBI single as SoCal tacked on two late runs.
Ramirez returned to pitch the sixth and got two infield pop-ups before freezing Hawaii’s Kaikea Saiki on a called third strike to end the game.
He finished with 13 swinging strikes on just 82 total pitches.