SAN BERNARDINO – 11- and 12-year-olds are not the only ones grateful and excited for a return to action at Al Houghton Stadium, site of the annual Little League Western Regional baseball and softball tournaments.
Cancelled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournaments and their dedicated teams of volunteers are back this summer, and the 8,000-capacity stadium – built in 1971 and celebrating its 50th anniversary – again is hosting teams and families from 11 western states.
“There was an additional layer this year from a precaution standpoint, mitigation plans to ensure the players are safe because first and foremost is safety,” said Little League Western Regional Director April Meehleder, who took the job in 2017.
“It was stressful and nerve-wrecking going into it, but once the teams arrived and I get to see the smiles on the kid’s faces, and knowing that this is what they’ve worked so hard to get back to, makes it extremely gratifying being able to provide them this experience,” Meehleder said.
The first major event at Little League Western Region Headquarters since 2019, this year’s Western Regional Softball Tournament began on July 24 with pool play and will conclude with the championship game between Nevada’s Summerlin Little League and Arizona’s Cactus Foothills LL starting at 10 a.m. Saturday.
“The girls are very excited. They’ve worked very hard, in 115-degree weather all summer, and they’ve come here with the whole Las Vegas community supporting them,” Nevada manager Jim Lenahan said.
Nevada’s Ava Koenig pitched a three-hitter and went 3 for 5 with a double and two RBIs in a 10-1 victory over Washington’s Redmond LL in semifinal No. 1 on Thursday. In semifinal No. 2, Arizona’s Bria Belden scored three times in the first three innings of a 12-7 win over La Verne Little League, the Southern California champion.
Among the noticeable updates around Al Houghton Stadium was the addition of an enclosed television production booth and the removal of the original grass infield in favor of an all-clay surface.
“We played here two years ago on the grass infield and the difference is amazing. It makes a huge difference,” Lenahan said. “Softball deserves it, and we really appreciate the Western Region allowing the girls to play on a field that’s meant for them.”
Nevada is making its first appearance in the West Regional title game, while Arizona last sent a representative to the Little League Softball World Series in 2013.
Current international travel restrictions mean both teams advance to the Little League Softball World Series to be held in Greenville, N.C., from Aug. 11-18.
“Our No. 1 goal is to represent the Western Region (and) hold up that banner as region champions, and we’re very excited to go to the World Series in North Carolina, but we know we still have work to do,” Lenahan said.
Following the Western Regional Softball Tournament at Al Houghton Stadium is the Little League West and Northwest Region Baseball Tournaments. The double-elimination tournaments will run concurrently from Aug. 8-14.
This year, all four region finalists advance to play at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., starting Aug. 19.
The Link LonkJuly 30, 2021 at 08:01AM
https://www.sbsun.com/2021/07/29/little-league-tournament-play-returns-to-san-bernardinos-al-houghton-stadium
Little League tournament play returns to San Bernardino’s Al Houghton Stadium - San Bernardino County Sun
https://news.google.com/search?q=little&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
No comments:
Post a Comment