Local Little League All-Star teams in midst of playoffs

Sonoma County teams right now are advancing through different stages of youth baseball tournaments throughout California and the Pacific Northwest.

Four teams from Rohnert Park's Cal Ripken league are currently battling with teams from as far as Hawaii and Arizona in regional tournaments.

The 9-year-olds from Rohnert Park kicked off their tournament with a bang - winning Game 1 13-0. Manager Jason Olvera said his players' jitters went away after the first inning.

“We just had to get back in our groove after some time off,” Olvera said. “We were a little rusty.”

Olvera said there is a ton of excitement in West Valley, Utah, were the tournament is set.

He added that the team has received a lot of support from the Rohnert Park community. Every parent from their team made the trip to Utah for the tournament, along with other family members and friends, he said.

Olvera said that other family members have been streaming the games live on Facebook and many people are watching from back home.

Olvera's team has proved they are not afraid of the big stage.

“Every team has jitters, but they love the excitement around here,” Olvera said of his players. “There is a big crowd here and our team loves playing in front of them.”

All four of Rohnert Park's teams play in a tournament pool for their first three games.

The tournament's 12 teams begin with three games before the six teams with the best record advance to a six-team single-elimination tournament, with the championship games set for Saturday.

Olvera's 9-year-olds are 1-0 and will play again Thursday. The 10-year-olds dropped their first game to Visalia Little League 9-4, but still have a chance to advance if they win out in pool play.

A team of 12-year-olds that plays on fields with 60-foot basepaths is 1-1, coming off Tuesday's 17-5 win in Long Beach that kept their hopes alive.

The other team of 12-year-olds, which uses 70-foot basepaths, is 2-0 after a 19-0 victory on Wednesday in Beaver, Utah.

The Rohnert Park Cal Ripken league is not the only local Little League organization with All-Star teams in the playoffs.

Santa Rosa's American Little League 11-year-old All-Stars will play in the Northern California championship tournament after knocking out Mill Valley and Vacaville to win the Section 1 championship. Santa Rosa American will start its state championship tournament Saturday at Rincon Valley, with first pitch at 11 a.m.