Beaumont Pony All-Stars Finish Strong

A sluggish start didn’t ruin the day for Beaumont’s squad of Pony League All Stars.

Beaumont dropped Wednesday’s opener of the City’s 9th annual Warm Up Tournament. But the squad regrouped and looked sharp in its night cap.

Beaumont’s double-header at Noble Creek Park helped kick off a busy schedule that will continue through Sunday’s championship round. Games will continue on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, featuring nearly 30 teams from a dozen nearby cities.

Beaumont produced an error-filled effort in its opener that resulted in a disappointing 9-7 loss to Moreno Valley. Beaumont trailed by eight runs in the early going but made it close with seven runs in the final three innings.

It wasn’t as bad as it may have looked, considering this tournament is a tune-up for the upcoming Pony League season.

“It was first game, first inning jitters,” Beaumont coach John Morten said. “We were down by 6 in the first inning. We lost by two. If we don’t have those early jitters, we are good to go.”

Wednesday’s games were just the second and third time the squad had played together as a team.

“We just want to jell as a team,” Coach Morton said. “We want to get ready for Pony. This is a good warm up.”

Beaumont’s second game, however, was a different story. Beaumont looked sharp in a 5-1 over Desert foe La Quinta.

“That first game was our first game today, we had our uniforms for the first time and all of that is just part of the game,” Coach Morten said. “We got past that and really turned it on.”

There were plenty of bright spots in Beaumont’s effort – only one error, as opposed to four in the opener; Beaumont threw one runner out at third and Beaumont generated six hits, including two in-the-park home runs.

But the game belonged to pitcher Brandon Miller. The right-hander struck out 11 batters, including retiring the side in the second, and scattered three hits.

“It was mostly fast balls,” Miller said. “I was throwing as hard as I could and they were right there. I hit them right down the middle.”

The home runs were thrilling as well. Derrick Hendricks belted his solo shot over right center. It came after a battle of sorts, he produced six foul balls before sending it out.

“I just wanted to hit it,” Hendricks said. “I just watched the coach as I ran.”

Raya sent his shot over left center.

“It was a 2-1 count and hit the right pitch,” Reya said. “I felt it. The sweet spot.”