2004 Canyon Hills Little League
Junior All Stars

Record: 9-3
Opponent Score   Summary
Ontario Eastern 14-4      The Junior team started their tournament with a 14-4 triumph over Ontario Eastern. Backing up a solid pitching performance by Dylan Ellsworth, the Junior lineup produced their 14 runs in 4+ innings to record the victory. Travis Mosler relieved in the top of the 5th, striking out the side.
       
Quad Cities 7-0      The Canyon Hills Junior All-Stars were given a forfeit in their game on 6/28 vs. Quad Cities.
       
Ontario Mountain View 7-0      The Junior All-Stars continue to play strong fundamental baseball and impressing their fans and the other teams in the tournament. On Monday, July 5th, led by a strong pitching performance from Brian Boulanger the Junior team shutout a strong team from Ontario Mountain View, 7-0.
     David Thompson and Steven Prater led the hitting attack with 2 hits each and both ran the bases with wild abandon. Strong defense led by Kyle Ginter (catching for the 1st time in the tournament), James Newcomb gobbling up fly balls in the outfield and the other infielders (David Liebhart, Jack Schellin and Travis Mosler) making all the plays, assisted Boulanger in shutting out OMV.
     Boulanger threw a four-hitter and had 12 strike-outs.  Michael Orris made a nice stop of a grounder to end the game and complete the shut-out. It was a total team effort helping the team to keep advancing in the tournament.
       
Creekside Ranch    
       
Creekside Ranch 7-4      The Canyon Hills Junior All-Stars put together another fantastic team effort in the District 23 Championship, beating Creekside Ranch 7-4 in the 2nd game re-match of the Championship round. Canyon Hills captured its first District 23 Championship in over 12 years, and their first ever in the Junior division.
     Using strong pitching, solid defense, effective coaching, and mixed with some late inning timely hitting, Canyon Hills was able to overcome a 4-0 deficit and complete their championship run, playing one-man down for the second straight game, this time without the use of Kyle Ginter.
     The game started with a well rested Brian Boulanger taking the mound and dominating the early innings. Boulanger totaled 7 strikeouts in 5 innings, including the side in the 2nd. Boulanger was supported by solid defense in the field and a strong game behind the plate from Jack Schellin.
     Creekside Ranch countered with timely pitching and fielding, squashing numerous rallies from the Canyon Hills squad. Hits from Michael Orris and David Liebhart, solid at-bats from Kevin Tolman and Jonathan Hunt, combined with the base running skills of David Thompson put continual pressure on Creekside Ranch in the early innings, but nothing could be cashed in.
     Battling in a classic pitcher's duel, the game went through 4 innings with no score. In the top of the 5th inning everything changed.
     Creekside Ranch loaded the bases as Canyon Hills suddenly had problems handling the ball. With one swing of the bat, Creekside Ranch took a 4-0 lead with a Grand Slam homerun.
     Needing a spark, Canyon Hills mounted another rally in the bottom of the 5th. With the bases loaded, Dylan Ellsworth drove in the first run on a fielder's choice up the middle. James Newcomb drove in another run, but the rally was cut short as Stephen Prater, attempting to capitalize on a Creekside Ranch miscue was thrown out at the plate trying to score.
     Ellsworth came on in the top of the 6th to put Creekside down in order. The bottom of the 6th saw Canyon Hills put together another rally.
     Jason Hoogeveen led off the inning with a double. Thompson then walked with Hoogeveen taking third on a wild pitch. Trying to get the tying run in scoring position, Thompson was gunned down on a fantastic throw from the Creekside Ranch catcher. But unlike the previous innings, the rally continued. Connor McNiff worked another walk to once again get the tying run on base. Liebhart then loaded the bases to put McNiff in scoring position.
     Next up stepped Travis Mosler. Mosler, with 2 previous hits, and having already reached base three times in the game, drove in Hoogeveen with a grounder to second that was booted and left the bases loaded. Next to bat, Boulanger, working the count full, drew a walk to force in McNiff with the tying run. Ellsworth followed with an RBI single to give Canyon Hills the lead. Batting around in the inning, Newcomb added a 2-run RBI single to cap the scoring.
     Ellsworth returned to the mound for the 7th. A lead-off drive to right center quieted the crowd as Creekside Ranch looked to make a comeback, but a strong throw from the fence by Hunt narrowly missed getting the runner out, and the crowd was back in the game. Ellsworth then took command, and as Mosler squeezed his glove shut around a pop-up to first, the Canyon Hills Junior All-Stars were the 2004 District 23 Champions.
     The Junior team was supported by a fabulous coaching staff, including Manager Jeff Schellin; Coaches Kelly Liebhart, Rick Adams, and Bruce Ginter; as well as big crowds from league families and friends. Many thanks go out to the families and supporters for their efforts in helping to bring home the championship flag.
       
Diamond Bar 7-6      The Canyon Hills Junior All-Stars, representing District 23, started the 2004 Section 6 Tournament vs Diamond Bar Little League from District 60.
     In a classic battle, Canyon Hills and Diamond Bar went into extra innings before the game was decided.
     In the top of the 1st inning, Canyon Hills took a 1-0 lead as Kevin Tolman walked. Once again excelling in a pinch runner role, David Thompson scored the first run on a single from Travis Mosler.
     In the 2nd, Brian Boulanger singled and was sacrificed to second by Jack Schellin. Boulanger advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored as the Diamond Bar catcher threw wildly into left field.
     Diamond Bar came back with single runs in the bottom of the 2nd and again in the 4th inning.
     Despite rallies in the 3rd, 4th, and 6th innings, Canyon Hills was unable to push across a run. But neither did Diamond Bar as Dillon Ellsworth pitched a masterful game and got some key defensive support in the field.
     In the 7th, Mosler and Kyle Ginter, who had 2 hits in the game, reached base and advanced into scoring position following a Boulanger sacrifice fly. Up stepped Schellin, who lined the next pitch up the middle, but the Diamond Bar pitcher was able to knock it down and throw to first to stop another Canyon Hills rally.
     David Liebhart came in to pitch in the bottom of the 7th. Diamond Bar put two runners on with one out, and looked to score on a single to left, but Tolman made a strong throw home and the lead runner returned to third base to keep the bases loaded. Once again Canyon Hills pulled out the defensive skills, as Boulanger caught the runner at third leading off too far after a pitch, and a ground ball to Schellin ended the inning as he stepped on third base for a force.
     Into extra innings the game went, with Dylan Ellsworth and Jason Hoogeveen starting the inning with long drives into the left center gap. The Diamond Bar left fielder caught Ellsworth's drive over the should, and their center fielder caught Hoogeveen's with a spectacular diving catch to prevent any runners from reaching base.
     With Diamond Bar being stopped in the 8th, Canyon Hills moved a runner into scoring position in the 9th but couldn't push him across. In the bottom of the 9th, Diamond Bar again loaded the bases with one out, and a sacrifice fly to Stephen Prater in center field was just deep enough to score the winning run.
       
Murphy Ranch 5-4      In their second game of the 2004 Section 6 Tournament, the Canyon Hills Junior All-Stars battled to their first victory at the Section level, beating Murphy Ranch from Whittier, 5-4.
     In another strong pitching performance by Canyon Hills, Travis Mosler took the mound, pitching the complete game victory. Mosler had 5 K's and picked off a runner to aid the cause.
     Trailing 1-0 after the top half of the 1st inning, Canyon Hills sent 8 batters to the plate in the bottom half, scoring 3. Using a walk to David Liebhart, a single from Mosler and another walk to Kyle Ginter, Canyon Hills loaded the bases with none out. Brian Boulanger popped a single into right field scoring David Thompson, who was running for Liebhart. Jason Hoogeveen then drew a walk to bring in Mosler, and the third run scored as Jack Schellin hit a ball up the middle that was grabbed and turned into a double play. Jonathan Hunt then drew another walk, and stole second base, but the rally ended there without further scoring.
     In the 2nd, Thompson used speed to manufacture another run. Again running for Liebhart following a walk, Thompson stole second, and then drew a throw from the Murphy Ranch pitcher which sailed into center field. Thompson was able to race around to score on the error.
     The game then turned into a pitcher's duel as Murphy Ranch, trailing 4-1, fought to come back. After adding a run in the 3rd, and keeping Canyon Hills from any additional scoring, Murphy Ranch was able to score 2 more in the 6th to get even.
     Tied going into the bottom of the 6th, Canyon Hills looked to start a rally. With one out, Hoogeveen reached first base on a dropped third strike. Hunt came in to run and was moved over to second as Schellin bunted for a single. Dylan Ellsworth stepped to the plate and hit a hard grounder that Murphy Ranch attempted to turn a double play on. Hustling down the line, Ellsworth beat the throw to first, and Hunt, off at the crack of the bat, raced around third to surprise Murphy Ranch and beat the throw home in scoring the go ahead run with a head first slide.
     Mosler, wanting to finish the game, took the mound in the 7th. After getting the first two batters, Murphy Ranch put the tying run on base, with the heart of their order coming up. But Mosler was up to the task and a fly ball to center was caught by Stephen Prater to complete another victory for the Canyon Hills Junior All-Stars. Final score: 5-4.
       
San Jose 12-2      Facing elimination for second straight day, the Canyon Hills Junior All-Stars put together another strong game, this time eliminating San Jose Little League from West Covina by a score of 12-2.
     Canyon Hills got a solid start with 4 runs in the top of the 1st inning. Using 5 straight singles to start the game, and 6 total for the inning, Canyon Hills took immediate control of the game. The 5 consecutive hits came from Kevin Tolman, David Liebhart, Travis Mosler, Brian Boulanger, and Kyle Ginter, with Boulanger knocking in the first run of the game, and Ginter adding 2 RBI's following a 10-pitch at-bat. Jonathan Hunt added another single as the seventh hitter and drove in the 4th run of the inning.
     Taking the mound for Canyon Hills was Boulanger. Throwing a masterful game, Boulanger had 8 strikeouts in 5 innings of work, pitching the complete game 2-hit victory.
     In the 2nd, David Thompson and Liebhart, following a bunt single for his seond hit of the game, ran wild on the bases, pushing across two more runs for a 6-0 Canyon Hills lead. Boulanger also added his second hit of the game, but the inning ended as he was thrown out trying to take second on a San Jose mistake.
     Canyon Hills kept the pressure on as they mounted yet another rally in the 3rd inning. Ginter, once again going deep into the count, drew a walk, and advanced to second base on a fielder's choice off the bat of Michael Orris. Jason Hoogeveen then came to bat and drove a shot into the right-center gap. Hoogeveen coasted into third base with a stand-up triple. James Newcomb drove in Hoogeveen with a ground out to second.
     Leading 8-0 going into the top of the 5th, Canyon Hills looked to end the game early. A single from Ginter, his second, and a walk by Jack Schellin got runners on base. Then San Jose started to unravel as their second baseman booted a grounder from Newcomb, and Ginter came in to score. Bad throws from the San Jose catcher and centerfielder brought in Thompson, who was running for Schellin, with Newcomb advancing to second. Stephen Prater then reached first on a dropped third strike with Newcomb moving over to third. Both runners then advanced as the San Jose pitcher committed a balk. Prater scored Canyon Hills' 12th run by advancing to third on a passed ball and then scoring on a wild pitch.
     San Jose mounted it's only rally of the game in the bottom of the 5th. With one out, two hitters were walked and the San Jose leadoff hitter singled for an RBI. With runners on the corners, the second run came across as Canyon Hills looked to throw out the runner stealing second, but couldn't take advantage of the opportunity. But the runner tried to then steal third base on the next pitch, which was popped up to Newcomb at first who turned and threw to Liebhart covering second to beat the runner for the final out.
       
San Dimas 5-2      For the third straight game, the Canyon Hills Junior All-Stars eliminated their opponent from the Section 6 tournament. This time that opposing team was from San Dimas Little League.
     The game was a pitching duel from the outset, with Dylan Ellsworth taking the mound for Canyon Hills. In a gritty performance, Ellsworth, pitching a 3-hitter, controlled the batters from San Dimas and limited their opportunities. Backing up Ellsworth was a strong Canyon Hills defense which did not commit an error in the game. The outfield played exceptionally well with Stephen Prater hauling in 5 balls to center and Jonathan Hunt grabbing 2 to right.
     The game started with San Dimas putting two runners on with one out, but Kyle Ginter turned a line drive to second into a double play with a catch and flip to David Liebhart. Liebhart and Travis Mosler reached base on walks in the bottom of the inning, but Canyon Hills' rally also ended with no runs.
     Ellsworth got through the 2nd and 3rd innings allowing 2 walks but no additional damage. In the bottom of the 3rd Canyon Hills took a 2-0 lead. With one out, Prater beat out an infield single, the first hit of the game. David Thompson came in to run and put pressure on the San Dimas defense. Kevin Tolman also reached base as his grounder to second was booted, and Liebhart moved both runners into scoring position with another grounder to second. Thompson then duped the San Dimas catcher into making a pick-off attempt and stole home to score the game's first run. Mosler followed with an RBI single, and Brian Boulanger added another single, but the rally was halted.
     In the 4th, San Dimas got a run back on a walk, single, and 2 ground outs. After stopping a Canyon Hills rally in the bottom of the 4th, San Dimas came back to score the tying run on a couple of singles, a walk, and a sacrifice fly. But defensive play again inspired Canyon Hills, as Boulanger threw out a runner attempting to steal, and Hunt making a strong throw which narrowly missed getting the tying run at the plate.
     The bottom of the 5th inning, saw Canyon Hills' patience pay off. A walk to Liebhart, a single by Mosler, a fielder's choice from Boulanger, and another walk to Ginter loaded the bases for Jack Schellin. Working the count full with two outs, Schellin took ball four to force in Thompson, again running for Liebhart, with the go ahead run. Hunt followed with a high fly to right center that fell in and two more runs came across the plate. James Newcomb would add another hit for Canyon Hills in the bottom of the 6th.
     With the 3 run lead, Ellsworth set out to get the complete game. In the 6th, he set down the San Dimas hitters 1-2-3. And in the 7th, he got his 4th strikeout of the game, then walked a hitter before getting another fly ball to Prater for the second out. Once again, the game ended with a pop-up to Mosler, and Canyon Hills advancing to the next game with a 5-2 win.
     This time the victory earned Canyon Hills a spot in the Championship round and a shot at redemption vs. the team from Diamond Bar.
       
Diamond Bar 20-8      Down 3-0 in the top of the first inning, with a star player hurt, and the season on the line, the question for Canyon Hills was: "What do we do now?". The answer: "Get out the bats!!!" In their highest scoring game of the post-season, Canyon Hills scored a 20-8 victory over Diamond Bar Little League to force a final and ultimate game for the Section 6 Championship.
     Canyon Hills continues to define team play as they used 10 hits, 15 walks, and 1 hit batter to score their 20 runs in only 4 innings off an overwhelmed Diamond Bar pitching staff, with every player in the lineup either scoring or driving in at least one run, and 14 of 17 RBIs coming from the 5-9 slots in the batting order. After sending 8 hitters to the plate in the 1st to claim a 4-3 lead, Canyon Hills then batted around in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.
     Suffering from a stiff and sore neck, Brian Boulanger attempted to start the game on the mound for Canyon Hills. But the pain wouldn't allow him to continue pitching just 4 hitters into the game. In came Travis Mosler, who had pitched a complete 7-inning game only 3 days earlier. With the score 2-0 Diamond Bar, and runners on second and third, Mosler got a foul pop-up to Boulanger behind the plate, and then a sacrifice fly to James Newcomb in left which scored the runner from third, but an eager runner on second tried to take third on the throw home and was gunned down by Boulanger to end the inning.
     With the season on the line, Canyon Hills went to work. Loading the bases on a single from David Liebhart, Mosler reaching base on an error, and a walk to Kyle Ginter, up stepped Boulanger. Boulanger worked a 2-2 count before hitting the ball to the shortstop, who, playing in, was able to throw home for a force play, and the catcher then made the throw to first to turn a double play. Having taken another blow to their hopes, Canyon Hills went back to work. Newcomb stepped to the plate and drew a walk. Jack Schellin then stroked a 2-run single, and Jonathan Hunt hammered a double to the left field fence to drive in two more runs, for a 4-3 lead.
     Mosler shut out the Diamond Bar offense in the 2nd and 3rd innings, sending them down 1-2-3 in each inning. After the top of the second, the game was halted for 15 minutes as the Sheriff's Rescue 5 helicopter landed to assist an emergency situation. As the flight took off, so did Canyon Hills.
     Determined not to be distracted by the delay, Canyon Hills' offense wouldn't be shut down. With the first six hitters reaching base, ten total batters came to the plate in the 2nd to score 5 more runs and a 9-3 lead. Stephen Prater got the inning started with a walk, which was then followed by multiple highlights including singles by Liebhart, Boulanger, and Newcomb, with the latter two driving in a run each; Ginter adding a bases loaded walk for a run; and ground balls from Schellin and Dylan Ellsworth bringing in a run each.
     The 3rd inning proved to be nearly as productive, as 9 hitters brought in 4 runs and a 13-3 lead. Liebhart led off with a smash liner to third, for his third hit in as many innings, and for the third time, David Thompson came in to run the bases, and stole his second base. Mosler drew a walk to reach base for the third time as well, but two straight pop-ups left runners on with two outs. Newcomb took the count full before drawing another walk. A passed ball plated Thompson for a run, and Michael Orris singled to bring in 2 more. Jason Hoogeveen then added a walk and Connor McNiff singled to up Canyon Hills' run count to 13.
     To start the 4th, a tired Mosler gave way to Newcomb on the mound. Diamond Bar put together 4 hits to start a comeback and scored 3 runs to get within 13-6. But a determined Newcomb, who hadn't pitched in nearly 5 weeks, used his defense and a called third strike of the Diamond Bar lead-off hitter to end the inning.
     Canyon Hills now smelling a win close at hand, put together their biggest inning of the game, scoring 7 to put the game out of reach. With one out, nine straight hitters reached base. Walks to Mosler and Boulanger, sandwiched around Ginter being hit by a pitch, loaded the bases for Newcomb, who drove in a run as an error was made at second base, and a bad throw by the catcher brought around 2 more. Orris and Hoogeveen walked to load the bases again, and McNiff added another RBI with a walk. Thompson then hammered a 2-run double, and after Liebhart walked to reach base for the 4th time, Mosler added a final RBI on a ground out to second.
     With a comfortable lead, Newcomb continued to work on the Diamond Bar batting order. Scratching and clawing to hold off defeat, Diamond Bar added 2 runs before being put away on a grounder to Ginter who flipped to Mosler.
     The 20-8 victory put Canyon Hills within 1 win of the Section 6 Championship and a trip to San Juan Capistrano for a spot in the Southern California Championship tournament.
       
Diamond Bar 8-7      The long run of the Canyon Hills Junior All-Stars came to an abrupt end in the Section 6 Championship game as Diamond Bar Little League scored a come from behind 8-7 victory.
     Led by Dylan Ellsworth, who had 3 hits, reached base 4 times in the game, and struck out 6 Diamond Bar hitters, Canyon Hills lead 7-3 going into the bottom of the 5th inning.
     Scoring 4 runs in the 3rd inning, Canyon Hills looked to take control of the game early. Ellsworth, Stephen Prater, David Liebhart, and Travis Mosler each scored, with Mosler, Brian Boulanger, and James Newcomb each picking up RBI's. But Diamond Bar came back in the bottom of the inning to get back 2 runs to pull within 4-3.
    Back on the attack in the 4th, Canyon Hills added another run on an RBI single from Mosler. Once again applying pressure in the 5th, a double from Jonathan Hunt scored Newcomb, and a single from Ellsworth brought in Jack Schellin who had also singled.
     Leading 7-3, Canyon Hills looked to collect the final 9 outs needed for the Championship, but Diamond Bar had other plans. Scoring 3 runs in the 5th, Diamond Bar climbed back into the game, trailing only 7-6. In the 6th, David Liebhart came on in relief of Ellsworth. Diamond Bar put up two quick runs to take the lead, but defense kept the game in sight for Canyon Hills, as Liebhart grabbed a shot up the middle and a runner trying to score was caught in a rundown, and another runner trying to advance was thrown out at third. Liebhart wasn't out of the woods yet, though. Hitting the next batter, he then was hit himself by another shot up the middle. Determined to finish, Liebhart stayed in the game and struck out the final Diamond Bar hitter.
     In the 7th, Canyon Hills looked to rally, however, two quick outs seemed to close the door. But an error by the shortstop put Jonathan Hunt on base, with Ellsworth's third single added, and Prater being hit by a pitch, the bases were suddenly loaded. But that's where the storied season for the Canyon Hills team ends, as the Diamond Bar third baseman caught a pop-up to end the game.
     The Junior All-Stars had an overall record of 9-3, which helped Canyon Hills Little League gain 18 total victories in All-Star competition, a new league record, and the highest win total in District 23 for the 2004 season.
     Canyon Hills' run marked only the 6th time in 30+ years of District 23 history that a District 23 team has advanced to the Section 6 title game, and it was a first for Canyon Hills Little League.
       
Little League - Established in Chino Hills in 1967