Cascade Little League is holding a barbecue fundraiser to offset travel costs to the Northwest Regional -Tournament. The event begins at 6 p.m. Thursday at Harmony Sports Complex, 1500 N.E. 192nd Ave., Vancouver. Cost is $8 per meal.
Jay Ponciano passed along a piece of local Little League history when he visited a Cascade All-Stars practice this week.
He might have also been passing a torch.
Ponciano was a star on the Hazel Dell team that went to the Little League World Series in 2000. He brought back a souvenir bat from Williamsport, Pa.
Tuesday, he gave that bat to Cascade’s players as a good luck charm.
“Hopefully you’ll get to bring back one of your own,” Ponciano told the 11 and 12 year olds.
The Cascade All-Stars are hoping to become the second Clark County team to reach the Little League World Series. They are one step away.
After winning the state championship Saturday, Cascade is headed to the Little League Baseball Northwest Regional Tournament in San Bernardino, Calif.
Beginning Sunday, Cascade will vie with state champions from Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming for one berth in the Little League World Series.
ESPN will televise the later rounds and offer Internet broadcasts of each game of the double-elimination tournament. Cascade opens against West Valley of Eagle, Idaho at 4 p.m.
If you’re wondering why a Northwest regional is held in Southern California, it’s because that’s the site of Little League’s western U.S. headquarters. Games will be played in the 12,000 seat Al Houghton Stadium. Whoever wins will fly directly to Pennsylvania.
“It’s something you’ve dreamed about since you were this tall,” said Cascade catcher Riley McCarthy, holding his hand at waist level. “You grow up watching the Little League World Series on ESPN with your dad. You say that could be me in two years, then that could be me in one year.”
Cascade is confident heading into the regional tournament, and for good reason. In five state tournament games, Cascade outscored its opponents 58-18 and hit 11 home runs, including five in a 15-6 championship game win over Mercer Island.
That baseball saying about hitting being contagious? Well, Cascade’s hitting has been pretty sick. And parents, when today’s kids say sick, that means good.
Twice in the state tournament, Cascade tallied 18 hits during a game.
“When we’re not hitting, it becomes much more individual. It becomes ‘that’s on me to start my team,'” said McCarthy, the son of coach Brendan McCarthy. “When everyone starts hitting, it’s like you’re part of this team doing something great right now. You just get up there and the pressure’s taken off because the next guy is going to do something special.”
But there was a close call.
In the quarterfinals, Cascade trailed Auburn 5-2 entering the final inning. But after an error and two singles cut the deficit to 5-3, Lucas Horowitz stepped to the plate.
Boom. Three-run homer. Game over. Who’s next?
“When Lucas Horowitz came to the plate, there was really this belief that he was going to do something special,” said Brendan McCarthy. “And if he didn’t, the next guy would do something special. It’s that confidence that’s born of playing together.”
Six of Cascade’s All-Stars have played together since they were 9. Another three joined the core as 10 year olds including Carter Monda, who is both the team’s best pitcher and one of its top hitters – he batted .421 with 11 RBI and six runs in the state tournament.
“He just raised everybody else’s game in that ‘this is what I need to aspire to,’ Brendan McCarthy said. “Just having him on the team has raised everyone’s expectations of themselves.”
Since the players were 10, coaches saw their potential.
“We just need to get them some more games,” McCarthy said.
So coaches sought out tournaments around the region. Over the past two seasons, this core group has played in 16 tournaments, winning 14 of them.
“They more games they played, the better they played and the more confident they became in each other,” Brendan McCarthy said. “If they had a rough inning, they got over it really quickly.”
“We all trust each other,” Horowitz said. “On pop flies we can call each other off and not run into each other.”
Last year, this Cascade group fell one step short of the state title, losing to the same Mercer Island group it just beat. This year, the team has been extra focused, knowing a shot at Williamsport is at stake.
“Last year with our deep run in state, I knew we had a great team and could (go) to the Little League World Series this year,” Horowitz said. “We just need to have tunnel vision, focus on San Bernardino and hopefully win.”
Tunnel vision is right. Like a train, Cascade has rolled through 10 opponents in the district and state tournaments.
Now that express is headed to Southern California. But Cascade hopes that’s not the last station on the line.
