The Verde Valley Little League Juniors team played well into the night on Tuesday but was eliminated from the District 10 playoffs when Wickenburg scored a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to take a 6-5 win.
The game, which started at 7:30 p.m. in Bagdad, ended at 11:15 p.m., according to head coach Shawn Zingali.
Meanwhile, the VVLL Majors are still alive, with a game against Williams on Wednesday, July 8, in Riverfront Park.
The Juniors, ages 13 and 14, were trying to work their way through the loser’s bracket of the tournament after dropping their opening game to Bagdad, 10-7. They trampled Camp Verde,
17-7, before being eliminated by Wickenburg.
“It was a good game, kind of,” Zingali said. “We couldn’t get our offense going, but both pitchers did an incredible job.”
His son, Dalton Zingali, pitched five and two-thirds innings, striking out 11.
Despite his disappointment at the way the season ended, the coach said he was proud of how is team came together.
“We were a very, very young team experience-wise. We had four players who had no experience, but they became key components.”
He was particularly pleased with the victory over Camp Verde.
Raul Alvarez pitched five innings, giving up just two earned runs.
To read the full story, see the Wednesday, July 8, edition of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
