The Orcutt National Little League 12-year-olds All-Star team had always been a pretty good defensive team – the team’s offense had just overshadowed its defense.

Monday night, clutch pitching and defense helped deliver the District 65 Little League 12’s Tournament championship to Orcutt National. Orcutt National rallied to beat Santa Maria Westside 8-6 on field one at Nipomo Community Park, host Nipomo Little League’s home site, in the first game of the championship bracket.

Orcutt National made sure an “if” game to decide the tournament champion would not be necessary. Orcutt National went 4-0 in the double elimination tournament. Westside went 4-2.

Trailing 4-0, Orcutt National rallied with three runs in the fifth inning and five in the top of the sixth, its final at-bat, to get the win. The Westside defense struggled in the last two innings.

Meanwhile, Orcutt National had just two scattered errors Monday night, and starting Orcutt National first baseman Sammy Padilla pitched a 1-2-3 sixth in relief to lock down the win for his team.

Orcutt National advanced to the Section 1 Tournament which will run at Nipomo Community Park July 12-14.

“Today, we needed pitching and defense to get the win,” Orcutt National manager Ray Morawski said Monday night.

Morawski said, “Our hitters had been showing frustration,” after Westside’s pitchers had held the heavy-hitting Orcutt National squad to one hit through four innings after Orcutt National had scored 10 runs in each of its first three tournament games

“We were hitting line drives right at people the first few innings,” said Morawski. “We just told them, ‘Be patient, the hits will come.’ and they did.”  

Patrick Campa capped a 3-for-3 night by knocking a ground ball through the hole between shortstop and third base and into left field to drive in Hunter Sheridan with the winning run.

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Kamden Morawski, Nicholas Terrones, Sheridan and Campa all singled in the sixth after Orcutt National had three hits combined before then. Westside, which had been error-free until the fifth, made three errors in the fifth inning and two more in the sixth.

“(The Westside relief pitcher) had to come into my zone,” Campa said afterward.

“The pitch I hit was middle, middle,” in the strike zone, said Campa. “I knew I was going to punch the ball through the 5-6 hole. They were trying to cut down a grounder (by playing infielders in), but I just punched it through the hole.”

Padilla’s regular position is first base but, “I’ve pitched a lot,” said Padilla. “I’m used to coming in in relief.

“I threw mostly fastballs,” during his one inning of pitching, said Padilla, and the strategy worked. Padilla sailed through the sixth inning on 10 pitches.

Westside broke on top with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Dominik Andrade drew a lead-off walk, Ava Lopez doubled Andrade over to third then both scored on consecutive RBI groundouts by Luis Figueroa and Benny Andrade.

Emilio Rubio singled home Ruben Diaz III with a run in the fourth inning to make it 4-0, and Westside widened its lead to 6-3 with two runs in the fifth after Orcutt National had pulled within 4-3. Figueroa singled in Andy Vargas with his second RBI of the game, and Dominik Andrade scored on an error.

Then Orcutt National rang up the five spot in the sixth.

Terrones finished a solid tournament with two hits and a run scored for Orcutt National. Lopez had two hits for Westside.Â