Stars sweep WBA championship day

By Ramon Scott
Updated: July 20, 2026

2026 SAN DIEGO STARS BASEBALL

San Diego rallies past Bulldogs in semifinal, erases 5-run deficit against Waves to sweep title-winning doubleheader

EastCountySports.com staff report

SAN MARCOS (7-19-26) — Two games. Two comebacks. One championship.

The San Diego Stars swept Western Baseball Association Championship Day on Sunday at Palomar College, defeating the San Diego Bulldogs, 10-3, in the elimination semifinal before rallying from five runs down to beat the regular-season champion San Diego Waves, 11-7, for the WBA title.

San Diego scored 21 runs over 18 innings and used two big late-game rallies to survive a demanding championship doubleheader. The Stars broke open the semifinal with six runs in the eighth inning, then scored 11 unanswered runs against the Waves after falling behind 5-0 in the championship game.

The championship sends the Stars into this week’s National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kansas, with momentum, confidence and another trophy for the franchise.

STARS 11, WAVES 7

The Stars entered the championship game against a Waves club that had gone 18-2 during the WBA season, outscored its opponents by 128 runs and defeated San Diego, 18-1, just three days earlier.

Early Sunday evening, it appeared the Waves might deliver another decisive victory.

Mikey Valdivia lifted a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first inning to put the Waves ahead, 1-0. They added four runs in the third when Kim delivered an RBI single, an error allowed another run to score and Valdivia doubled home two more.

The Stars were down 5-0 after three innings—and were already 12 innings into a championship doubleheader.

Instead of folding, San Diego began its comeback.

The Stars scored three times in the fourth, once in the fifth and twice in the sixth, turning the five-run deficit into a 6-5 advantage. Will James singled to center and Jacob Campagna singled to right during the go-ahead sixth-inning rally.

San Diego then erupted for five runs in the seventh to take command, completing a stretch in which the Stars scored in four consecutive innings and produced 11 unanswered runs.

The Waves scored twice in the eighth, but the Stars carried an 11-7 advantage through the final inning to secure the championship.

San Diego finished with 14 hits.

James led the attack by going 3-for-4, while Joe Anderson went 2-for-4 and drove in three runs from the No. 3 spot in the order.

Hunter Kaul, Phill Jones and Jason Wright also collected two hits apiece. Campagna provided another critical hit after driving in three runs during the semifinal.

Manny Miranda started for the Stars and allowed five runs, four earned, on three hits over three innings.

Nate Cena, Haden Deanda, and Austin DeBour helped handle the final six innings, holding the Waves to two additional runs while the San Diego offense mounted its comeback.

Valdivia led the Waves by going 2-for-4 with three RBI.

Owen Baxter also recorded two hits, and Anthony Tompkins drew two of the Waves’ seven walks.

It was a dramatic reversal from Thursday, when the Waves defeated the Stars, 18-1, at West Hills High School. That result became irrelevant when the teams met again with the championship on the line.

The Waves entered Sunday riding a 13-game winning streak. The Stars ended it by producing their biggest comeback of the summer.

STARS 10, BULLDOGS 3

Before the Stars could challenge the Waves, they had to survive an elimination semifinal against a Bulldogs team that defeated them in three of four regular-season meetings.

The Bulldogs carried a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning behind an outstanding start from York, who held San Diego to two hits over six scoreless innings.

The game then changed completely.

Campagna delivered a two-run single in the seventh to pull the Stars within a run.

Carson Lewis and Rey Ramirez were each hit by pitches with the bases loaded, forcing home two more runs and giving San Diego a 4-3 lead.

The Stars had spent six innings searching for their first run. They suddenly had four runs, the lead and complete control of the game.

San Diego put the semifinal away with a six-run eighth inning despite recording only one hit in the frame.

Will James, Liam Herrera and Campagna were each hit by pitches with the bases loaded. Lewis followed with an RBI single before Ramirez and Wright drew run-scoring walks, extending the lead to 10-3.

Five of the Stars’ six eighth-inning runs were forced home by a walk or hit batter.

San Diego collected only four hits in the game but drew 11 walks and was repeatedly awarded first base after being hit by pitches. Gavin Gamino, Jones and Wright drew two walks apiece.

Campagna went 1-for-2 with three RBI and two stolen bases. Lewis, Ramirez and Wright recorded the Stars’ other hits.

The Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead in the second inning when Thomason singled down the right-field line and another run scored on a Stars error. Hoffman added a solo home run to left in the fourth.

That was all the Bulldogs could produce against Travis Van Dyke and Nate Moloney.

Van Dyke allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits over five innings. He struck out four and walked two.

Moloney was nearly untouchable in relief, throwing four scoreless innings and allowing three hits. He struck out five and walked two, keeping the Stars within striking distance until the offense broke through.

The Stars entered the postseason having gone 1-3 against the Bulldogs during the regular season. San Diego lost the three meetings by scores of 8-4, 3-2 and 15-12, with its lone victory coming in a 25-0 rout.

The fifth meeting went to the Stars—and ended the Bulldogs’ season.

FROM FIVE DOWN TO CHAMPIONS

San Diego’s championship run required 18 innings of baseball and two distinctly different rallies.

The Stars went scoreless through six innings against the Bulldogs before scoring 10 times over their final two at-bats. Against the Waves, they fell behind 5-0 before scoring in four consecutive innings.

Over the final 12 innings of Championship Day, San Diego outscored its opponents 21-5.

The title continued the legacy of a Stars organization built by late founder Mickey Deutschman, who was inducted into the NBC Hall of Fame in 2021. This year’s Stars are led by head coach Sam Hughes.

The Stars had already secured the WBA’s berth in the NBC World Series before Sunday. They will now arrive in Wichita as Western Baseball Association champions—and as a team that proved it can recover from almost any deficit.

WBA CHAMPIONSHIP DAY

Sunday at Palomar College