Tracy Press

Tracy's 12-year-old Babe Ruth All-Stars put an exclamation point on a win against Lodi in the district semifinals.

Control of Tuesday’s Cal Ripken District 1 semifinal game at Monte Vista Middle School went back and forth between the Tracy and Lodi All-Star teams.

But even after Tracy’s 12-year-old Babe Ruth All-Stars took back the momentum in the sixth inning and left no doubt that it would be Tracy’s game, the team kept hitting and scoring to drive home the point.

The Tracy All-Stars went through their batting order twice in the sixth inning and scored 13 runs in the 21-8 win. A series of base hits and walks loaded the bases for Cole Link’s two-run double to right-center field, and then again for Nate Scanlon’s three-run triple into the right-field corner. It was one of Scanlon’s four hits Tuesday and good for three of his five RBIs.

By that time, Tracy had already taken back the game, but up until the fifth inning, it was anybody’s contest.

Tracy scored first, when Nikko Martinez sent the ball over the left-field fence for a solo home run in the second inning.

Lodi responded with Anthony Sobera’s two-run homer in the second, and Tracy came back with a three-run rally in the third, capped by Scanlon’s two-run homer over the right-field fence.

Lodi took the game back in the fifth on a series of walks and errors, plus key hits from Mike Meinecke and Collin Kosaka for five runs in all and an 8-5 lead. Tracy scored three in the fifth, including two that came in on a base hit from Brennan Bowman, to tie the game and set the stage for the sixth-inning rally.

Manager Ron Vares said Martinez and Scanlon have led his team at the plate all season, and when one hits a homer, the other always seems to respond in kind.

"The kids have been hitting the ball well all tournament," Vares said, adding that being behind by three runs Tuesday didn’t bother his team. "Today, we were in a tight spot and came back like champs."

Tracy batters also dominated their first two games in the tournament this week. Martinez slammed a two-run shot in the first inning of Tracy’s 8-0 win Saturday against Escalon, and Scanlon came up with a home run in the fourth inning.

In Monday’s 7-1 win against Escalon, the Tracy team scored five in the first inning, with Scanlon knocking in one and Nick Gandall and Wesley Thompson each driving in two.

Tracy will play for the tournament championship at 10 a.m. Friday. With Tuesday’s win, the Tracy All-Stars qualify for the state tournament, hosted by Central California Cal Ripken, which starts next week in Fresno. Tracy will be one of two North Valley district All-Star teams playing July 11 at Polk Elementary School.

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