Little League: Sweetwater Valley shuts out Encino for spot in West Region tourney

SAN BERNARDINO — Noah Kirk was ready for his moment.

Kirk anchored a two-hitter as Sweetwater Valley Little League captured the Southern California Little League championship with a 9-0 victory over Encino Little League on Sunday night at Al Houghton Stadium.

“He came to our league for this reason,” Sweetwater Valley manager Steve Winnick said. “To pitch in this game and be the dude here.”

The young right-hander finished with four walks and seven strikeouts for SVLL, which won all five games at the SoCal tournament to earn the spot at the upcoming West Region tournament, which begins next Sunday (Aug. 9).

Sweetwater Valley Little League, from Bonita near Chula Vista, previously represented Southern California in the West Region tournament in 2015 and 2019. The 2015 team won the regional title and advanced to the semifinals of the U.S. bracket at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

“I love these kids. I’ve coached some of them since they were 5 years old,” Winnick said. “To have this team represent our league, our district and all that; it’s amazing.”

In the biggest start of his first season with Sweetwater Valley, Kirk consistently mixed the timing of his delivery to keep Encino’s hitters off balance.

“They swung every single time at the curveball,” Kirk said. “I was able to attack the strike zone and when we got the lead that took the pressure off.”

Encino loaded the bases in the second inning, but Kirk got a pair of swinging strikeouts before a groundout to shortstop Mateo Cruz ended the threat.

Tempe Tran went 2 for 3 with a double and two RBIs, and Sweetwater Valley broke the game open with four runs in the fourth inning.

Kirk singled and scored on Jesus Cuadra’s double to the gap, and Sweetwater Valley tacked on another run on an error before RBI singles from Grant Mielke and Tran gave the District 42 champions a 5-0 lead.

Encino starting pitcher Matt Lazo struck out eight, but he fell behind after giving up back-to-back hits in both the second and fourth innings. He walked three and was removed after the fifth inning.

In the sixth, Encino reliever Dom DiMeo faced three batters without getting an out before Sweetwater Valley’s Isaac Ramirez and Julian Sevilla knocked in runs with extra-base hits into the right field corner.

Cruz made highlight-reel defensive plays in the fifth in sixth for Sweetwater Valley, and Leo Gonzales entered late in relief of Kirk and got the final two outs to secure the win.

Sweetwater Valley will face Northern California’s San Ramon Valley Little League from Danville in a West Region opener next Sunday.