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Sports

Season Ends for Yankees Little League Team

Santa Monica East loses to West LA in the District 25 Tournament of Champions.

One shaky inning cannot tarnish an otherwise stellar season.

That was what Santa Monica East Little League Yankees Manager Mike Slinger conveyed to his team after its four-inning, 15-5 loss to the West LA Cubs in the Major Division semifinals of the District 25 Tournament of Champions Thursday evening at the Culver Marina Baseball Complex.

The Yankees led, 1-0, heading into the second inning, but West LA exploded for 14 runs on eight base hits and batted around two times to take a commanding lead. The Santa Monica squad rallied for three runs in the top of the fourth, but it wasn't enough to keep the season alive.

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Santa Monica East had a bye in the first round of the 12-team tournament and had eliminated the city rival Santa Monica West Giants, 7-3, in the quarterfinals. The Yankees played fundamentally sound baseball all season and finished with an impressive 19-4 record.

"Definitely, we were one of the top teams coming in [to the Tournament of Champions]," Slinger said. "It's been fun coaching this team. It's a very close-knit group. These are 10- to 12-year-olds, and it's difficult for kids that age to play with the kind of consistency that we have this season."

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Two years ago, the Santa Monica Mariners went undefeated in league play and reached the Major Division finals of the District 25 Tournament of Champions. The only Santa Monica-based team to win it was in 1997, and a local team has yet to win the younger Minor Division (ages 9-11).

"It's always an uphill battle because of the way it's structured," said Slinger, who was assisted by coaches John Kelly and Matt Maccoby. "We have three 10-year-olds, three 11-year-olds and six 12-year-olds, and some of the teams we're playing [in the District playoffs] have all 12-year-olds."

Making up the Yankees' roster are Noah Altman, Wesley Burton, Ryan Dominick, Jack Kelly, Josh Klein, Nick Landi, Micah Maccoby, Stanley Morris, Max Posell, Mikey Roberts, Alex Rubinek and Ryan Slinger. 

CityTV will broadcast Santa Monica Little League Championship games starting Friday at 1 p.m. Go here for more info.

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