The Goleta Valley South LL 11U All-Stars battled their way to a Section 1 championship on Sunday at El Rio Little League.
After going undefeated up until the title game, GVSLL faced off against Orcutt National LL and had to be beaten twice in order to have its season come to a close.
After Orcutt National LL took the first game of the day by a score of 11-4, GVSLL bounced back with an 11-5 victory later in the day to capture the championship.
GVSLL kept its summer alive with the victory, now competing in the State Tournament beginning on Saturday.
In the Section-championship deciding game, GVSLL opened the scoring in the top of the first by scoring on a pair of passed balls and an RBI triple by Brooks Caldwell to take a 3-0 lead.
GVSLL extended its advantage to 4-0 in the second on another passed ball, but Orcutt National LL bounced back with a pair of runs in the bottom half to cut the lead to 4-2.
After GVSLL scored via another passed ball in the top of the third, Orcutt National LL responded with three runs of its own to tie the game up at 5-5 heading into the back half of the game.
The back-and-forth affair continued in the top of the fourth when Rafa Berumen came through with a clutch two-run double to put GVSLL back in front by a score of 7-5.
Orcutt National LL had a chance to score in the bottom half, but Jase Hooper and Liam Anderson connected to throw out a runner at home and preserve the two-run lead.
Following a scoreless fifth, GVSLL put the game on ice in the top of the sixth with a four-run inning. They scored on RBI singles by Anders Runquist and Quincy Niksto, an RBI sacrifice fly by Nathan Diaz and an error.
GVSLL put the finishing touches on the win in the bottom of the sixth, with Brooks Caldwell making back-to-back stellar plays in the field to cap it off.
Caldwell also handled the bulk of the pitching for GVSLL, with Luke Brennan tossing the final 1 ⅓ innings of the victory.
The GVSLL 11U All-Star Team includes Liam Anderson, Rafael Berumen, Luke Brennan, Brooks Caldwell, Dylan Corlett, Nathan Diaz, Benn Hause, Jase Hooper, Quincy Niksto, Anders Runquist, Ethan Sierra and Cade Venegas.
The team is managed by Bryan Corlett, with assistant coaches Evan Hause and Jacob Niksto.