Encinitas National All-Stars Claim Section Title

And the hits just keep on happening for the Encinitas National Little League All-Stars.

A seven-run second inning capped by a grand slam by Micky Moniak powered ENLL to a 13-3 win over the La Mesa National All-Stars in the Section 6 championship Wednesday night at 4S Ranch Community Park.

With two victories in three meetings with La Mesa in the five-day, double-elimination tournament, Encinitas advances to the Southern California South Sub-Division tourney, which begins Saturday in Fountain Valley. ENLL will face the other San Diego-area entry, 2009 Little League world champion Park View of Chula Vista, in the 5:30 p.m. opener.

The game was scoreless entering the bottom of the second before ENLL was able to reach La Mesa starter Nate Jarvis for three runs, the last on a bases-loaded walk. LNLL coach LB Havird brought in Cody Brown, but Moniak foiled the strategy by hitting his slam to center.

"I was looking to put it in play  and maybe get a couple runs home," said Moniak. "I got my pitch but got under it just a bit, but it had enought to get out."

La Mesa National responded with a three-run third, cutting the lead to 7-3. A sacrifice fly on a sliding catch in center plus a two-run single by Austin Odom gave LMN hope, but it wasn't able to score again off Encinitas pitchers Luke Duncan and Dylan Hadley.

Brandon Bay's solo home run highlighted the five-run fourth for Encinitas, and when the home team pushed across another run in the bottom of the fifth, the game ended due to the 10-run rule.

"We've got some punch in the lineup almost top to bottom," said ENLL coach John Roberts. "All our guys are capable of hitting one out, so opponents can't pitch around us."

The two sub-division winners will play a best-of-three series to determine a Sothern California representative in the West Regionals in San Bernardino, where the field will battle for a berth in next month's Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA.