Pitcher Gunnar Gaudin, whose Paseo Verde Little League team was facing elimination on Thursday, campaigned for his club to continue playing.
Gaudin threw a shutout to help the Henderson team to a 4-0 victory over North Boulder (Colorado) in the Mountain Region semifinals in San Bernardino, Calif. Paseo Verde (3-1) will play Dixie (Utah) in the finals at 2 p.m. Friday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN. The winner will advance to the Little League World Series, which begins Wednesday in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Gaudin held North Boulder (1-2) to two hits and struck out five players. The team from Colorado was never able to seriously score.
Caleb Gomez opened Paseo Verde’s offense by opening the first inning with a triple, and one batter later he scored when Russell McGee hit a ball into fielder’s choice to give his team a 1-0 lead.
Oliver Johnson, who hit 2-for-3, extended Paseo Verde’s lead when he scored on a wild pitch in the fourth inning. The team scored two more runs in the fifth inning thanks to two errors by North Boulder.
Gaudin retired the game in the sixth inning, facing only three batters in the final inning after hitting his second double play of the afternoon.
Review-Journal reporter Jeff Wollard can be reached at [email protected].