Unfazed by a seventh-inning protest, Visalia relief pitcher Javier Alvarez set down the last two batters to beat Orcutt 12-10 on Saturday.

Visalia vs. Orcutt was one of many first-round games at the Babe Ruth 14-Year-Old State Tournament.

Orcutt coaches contested Alvarez's re-entry as a pitcher after Alvarez came in from center field in the seventh. The protest committee ruled after a brief time that Alvarez's re-entry was valid because he never left the game. Alvarez started the game in center field, came on in relief in the third, went back to center field in the seventh and returned to the mound later that inning.

Orcutt is the tournament host. In other first-round action, San Benito beat Wasco 16-3 in a game that was called after five because of the run rule, and Central of Fresno defeated Hanford 12-7. Both of the latter two games were at Morrison.

San Benito and Central play a winner's bracket game at 4 p.m. today at Morrison. Arroyo Grande and Visalia face off in another winner's bracket game, at 5 p.m. at Elks Field.

Wasco and Hanford play at 10 a.m., and Orcutt faces Selma at 1 p.m. Both are elimination games at Morrison. The rest of the tourney is there after today. The championship round begins at 2 p.m. next Thursday.

Orcutt seemed to be in good shape after two-run doubles by Mark Hellman and Evan Harper in the third inning gave the designated visitors a 5-1 lead.

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Then Visalia scored seven runs in the third inning without getting a hit. Orcutt went through three pitchers that inning. Orcutt relief pitcher Cody Thompson struck out the lead-off batter, then Visalia hitters took six straight walks.

Rey Sedillo took one for the team (he was plunked by a pitch), then Ryan Ginsberg scored on Alvarez's groundout. Visalia scored its last two runs of the inning on the Orcutt third baseman's throwing error.

With the score 8-7, Visalia seemed to break the game open with four runs in the fifth.

After a one-out error, Anthony Estrada singled. Casey Sherman cracked a two-run double, then he came home when starting pitcher Isaiah Rodriguez walloped a triple. Trevor Fletcher singled Rodriguez home.

Orcutt went scoreless in the sixth, but it did not go quietly in the seventh.

Harper got the host team rolling with a lead-off single. Pinch hitter Kohl Bashline doubled him home. Kory McCambridge walked, then Anthony Cox singled to load the bases.

Jake Portman got an RBI the hard way when he was hit by a pitch. Jacob Cooper drew a bases-loaded walk for another run, but then Alvarez came in and choked off the rally.

In other action, Arroyo Grande's players and coaches were pretty happy with everything Saturday.

Pretty happy with everything, that is, except the fifth inning. Selma scored six unearned runs.

However, Arroyo Grande had enough offense to win 20-10. The game was called after the top of the fifth inning because of the 10-run rule.

Arroyo Grande left fielder Ryan McNeil had three hits and scored twice. He thinks things will go well for his teammates and himself the rest of the tournament “If we focus.”

Seven Arroyo Grande players had a hit in the home team's 10-hit attack. “That's pretty much the way we hit the ball the whole tournament,” in winning the District 6 tourney, said McNeil. Selma won District 3.

July 20, 2008