12U Somerton Mets win “Cooperstown World Tournament”
12U Cal Ripken team from Somerton now has sights on World Series in Maryland
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. ( KYMA, KECY-TV ) - It's been a busy month for the 12U Somerton Mets little league team. Last week they found themselves in Cooperstown, New York for the "Cooperstown World Tournament."
"I got a call, I got a call while I was at work," Head coach Jesus "Chuy" Roldan said. "At first I thought it was one of those prank calls you get. Later on I got a letter in the mail inviting us to Cooperstown. This was about a year ago. I talk to the parents before I talked to the players because I knew the players would say yes. We said yes and got 13 committed players to go."
The team had one year to fundraise and get ready and once at the site of Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame, the team from tiny Somerton did not disappoint. On Monday, July 11th, the first day of tournament play, the 12U Mets defeated won both games in pool play. 16-4 over a team from Pennsylvania and 4-3 versus the squad from Georgia. On Tuesday, July 12th, the Somerton Mets defeated the team from Canada 6-2. On Wednesday, July 13th, defeated Canada again, this time 2-0 to advance to the championship game.
The Mets kept on winning, this time escaping the team from Georgia 2-1 to claim the tournament title.
After the New York experience, the team flew back to Arizona on Saturday, July 16th before driving to Fallon, Nevada on Sunday the 17th for the Cal Ripken Pacific Southwest Regionals.
"A couple weeks ago we were in Phoenix," Roldan said. "We played Scottsdale and Maricopa and we beat them to win state. Once you become a state champion you represent Arizona in the regional tournament."
The Somerton Mets started the regional tournament on fire, defeating Fallon 29-1. The Mets were led on the mound by Kevin Aguirre and Heri De la Cruz. At the plate Obet Zaragoza hit a grand slam.
"Whoever wins the tournament in Fallon goes to the World Series in Maryland," Roldan said.
Cal Ripken baseball is just like Little League baseball, two different leagues with the same goal, advancing to the World Series. It's a place and a tournament Somerton has never been.
"Never Somerton but I know a local team who qualified and couldn't go because of COVID," Roldan said. "This is the first team from Somerton that is close to going to the World Series.
