sports/sports_4_18

Santa Monica Sports Notes

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Holly Omori is the new girls basketball coach at Santa Monica High. She is a former assistant coach at three universities.

After accepting the job she began coaching the girls last week in their summer program...

Santa Monica United completed a 9-1 soccer season with a 1-0 victory over FC Portugal of South Los Angeles in a shootout. It was the South Coast League Spring Champion-ship game.The team coached by Jason Kelly is comprised of boys ages 13-14.

Santa Monica High pitcher Rocky Collis, who earned praise for earning a berth in the regular rotation as a freshman despite going 1-8, is getting the experience he needs. He's pitching regularly this summer and recently was on a youth team that played in Florida...

The report of fellow Samohi pitcher Jonas Swyer is that he did very well at Team One, a gathering of the top prospects in the country. Playing in Florida Swyer hit and fielded well, then also pitched effectively...

By Mitch Chortkoff

It's a Serious Time for Little League Baseball

Monday, July 12 --- The pattern in Little League baseball is similar to the one in major league sports. First there's the relative tranqulity of the regular season. Then there's the serious nature of the playoffs.

All-star teams are chosen and the best that an area can produce is matched against the best from other areas. The playoffs go on and on until participants are established for the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Penn., later in the summer.

You can debate the merits of having youngsters 12 and under competing for such a grand prize. We've all heard stories of parents getting far too involved. And the Little League World Series, which is nationally televised and played before crowds of 25,000, now has an international division besides the U.S. division.

Whether it's all to much is a topic to study. But the fact is that the mechanism exists. And so, the playoff games merit more coverage than games in the regular season. The interest is there.

Locally we have the District 25 All-Star Tournament in progress this month at La Cienega Park in Beverly Hills. Play began last week and will continue through July 22.

In opening games Santa Monica East defeated North Venice, 4-0, on a no-hitter by Cody Decker, and Santa Monica West lost to Culver City, 13-2.

Decker pitched a six-inning complete game and struck out nine. He also drove in two runs.

It was quite an accomplishment for Santa Monica East to defeat North Venice pitcher Dylan Cohen. He hadn't lost all season.

Santa Monica West didn't play nearly as well as they had some key errors and wild pitches.

Trailing 4-0 in the third, Santa Monica West scored two runs, one coming on an infield out by Tyler Russo and the other on a Culver City throwing error. However, Culver City pitcher Nick Margis used seven strikeouts to get out of jams.

Teams that lose their first games can still win the tournament. As play goes on games will be contested this week on Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. All games are at La Cienega Park.

The tournament winner will advance to further play against champions from other districts. One upon a time the Western finals were played in Santa Monica but now that event is held in San Bernardino.