Tuesday, June 24’s Little League game between Santa Clara Briarwood and Campbell started out just like any other game. Tremendous pitching from Campbell Little League’s ace kept Briarwood’s bats quiet for the first few innings, but the team from Santa Clara would display its defensive prowess to keep the score within reach.
Shortstop Jaiden Stewart fielded a second-inning ground ball just a couple feet away from the second base bag, he then quickly stepped on the base himself before rifling a throw to first for an impressive 6-3 double play.
Briarwood also featured quality defense in the outfield with left fielder Hunter Marsili making multiple nice catches for big outs. The Santa Clara team’s defense helped keep things from spiraling further when Stewart managed to get out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the top of the fourth after he had come in to pitch. Stewart’s Houdini-act set the stage for when the Briarwood bats awoke from their slumber.
In the bottom of the fourth, Briarwood came up with a two-out rally that lit up the home crowd. After Kevin Madej and Stewart both put balls in play to reach base, Yoshi Broddrick smoked a single into right field for an RBI, making the score 5-1. The very next batter, Julian Murillo would launch a towering drive into deep left-center field that kept going, going, going and gone! A three-run homer and all of a sudden it’s a one-run game! Except, in the eyes of the home plate umpire, the second runner did not touch home plate and when Murillo then stepped on home, by rule the second runner was out and the inning was over.
This ticky-tack technicality ruined an otherwise thrilling moment for Murillo, erasing runs off the board in favor of Campbell, whose players did nothing to earn it. It’s not like Murillo cheated to hit the ball over the fence. Once the ball goes over the fence, it is three runs for Briarwood. No adult should ever take away a fantastic moment for a middle-school-aged child when they 100% deserved it.
“We hit a three-run home run to bring the game to 5-4 in the bottom of the fourth inning and their ace pitcher was on the rocks. Unfortunately, there was a very controversial decision made that said one of our runners did not touch home plate,” remarked Briarwood Manager Kyle Madej. “And despite video evidence disputing that call, we were disallowed two runs, and the inning ended. It was a very unfortunate situation that all parties involved have voiced to me they wish they could do it over again because it stole all the joy of the game away from the kids.”
The emotional letdown from the incredibly rare ruling turned what was setting up to be a fantastic final two innings into a disaster for Briarwood. Campbell would run away with the game in the sixth, winning by a 12-3 final. Briarwood struggled the remainder of the week, and despite Madej believing his team to be the most talented in the tournament, they have now been eliminated from the District 44 tournament.
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