The all-star team from the Chula Vista-based Park View Little League will learn Friday night who will be its opponent in Saturday's West Regional tournament championship game.
The all-star teams from the Central East Maui and Mountain Ridge Little Leagues will meet Friday night in a semifinal at Al Houghton Stadium in San Bernardino for the right to face Park View. Central East Maui, the Hawaii state champion, defeated Mountain Ridge, the Nevada state champion, 8-0 on Sunday.
Park View advanced to the final with a 14-11 victory over Central East Maui Thursday night, its 10th consecutive victory since losing its opener in the South Subregional July 23.
Park View scored in each inning, including five runs in the fifth and two in the sixth to build a 14-5 lead, before Central East Maui scored six times in the bottom of the sixth in the six-inning game.
Santiago Garcia hit a pinch-hit home run leading off the fourth and doubled in two runs in the fifth, helping Park View to improve to 17-2 in its four tournaments.
Ali Camarillo had two hits and two RBIs, Anthony Soto was three-for-three with one RBI and Ju Ju Padilla two hits and an RBI as part of a 13-hit attack by Park View, the Southern California champion.
The winner of the regional championship game will advance to the Little League World Series, which is played in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Park View manager Jorge Camarillo said the team is exceeding expectations.
“If you would have asked me 3, 4, 5 months ago that I would have been at the championship game at the western regional, I probably would have said no,” said Camarillo.
He said the kids know what’s at stake.
“They’ll be ready,” said Camarillo. “We do a good job of preparing them mentally on what to expect and what not to expect.”
Park View is seeking to be the 12th team from San Diego County to play in the Little League World Series, including the 2015 Sweetwater Valley Little League all-star team.
The 2009 Park View Little League all-star team won the Little League World Series and began a stretch of three San Diego County teams reaching the Little League World Series in seven years.
