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Scripps Ranch’s great SoCal run ends
- Updated: July 30, 2026
2026 LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL
Cornelissen’s sixth-inning homer gives SRLL a final rally; Vineyard advances to face Encino
By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com
ALISO VIEJO — Scripps Ranch produced one final rally Thursday, but the San Diego County champions could not erase an early deficit as Vineyard earned a 5-3 elimination victory at Woodfield Park.
The elimination-bracket quarterfinal was played one day after being postponed without a publicly announced reason.
Jonathan Cornelissen gave Scripps Ranch an opportunity in the sixth inning, driving a two-run home run over the center-field fence to reduce Vineyard’s advantage. SRLL brought the potential tying run to the plate following a two-out single by Lucas Morton, but Vineyard recovered and recorded the remaining outs to extend its tournament run.
Cornelissen finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and also started on the mound for Scripps Ranch. Morton added two hits as the pair accounted for four of SRLL’s five hits.
Vineyard took advantage of early control problems to score twice in the bottom of the first. Consecutive bases-loaded walks forced home the first two runs before Cornelissen escaped without allowing a hit in the inning.
Cornelissen settled in after the difficult opening. He allowed two hits and two unearned runs across three innings, striking out three and walking four.
Vineyard extended its lead after Cornelissen departed and carried a four-run advantage into the sixth.
Wyatt McAninch delivered four strong innings for Vineyard, allowing three hits and one unearned run. He struck out six without issuing a walk and produced one of the tournament’s most precise pitching sequences in the third inning, striking out all three batters on nine pitches for an immaculate inning.
Vineyard collected six hits from six players, including McAninch, Jackson Meadows and Matthew Watson. Its pitching staff limited Scripps Ranch to five hits while protecting the early advantage.
Scripps Ranch makes its final push
Scripps Ranch had already demonstrated its ability to reverse a game late.
In its tournament opener, SRLL trailed Eastvale 1-0 before scoring five times in the fifth inning. Joshua Hornyak’s three-run triple supplied the decisive hit in a 5-1 victory over the team that entered as the tournament’s top-rated contender.
Thursday’s comeback opportunity arrived one inning later.
With Scripps Ranch down four in the sixth, Cornelissen launched his two-run home run to center. The hit continued an outstanding tournament for the SRLL infielder and pitcher, who also delivered two hits and two RBIs in the 8-5 victory over Ladera Ranch National.
This time, however, Scripps Ranch could not complete the comeback.
Immediate tournament impact
Vineyard has become the elimination bracket’s most disruptive team.
The Section 8 champions have now eliminated Eastvale, Goleta Valley South and Scripps Ranch—three teams that entered the tournament with legitimate championship expectations.
Vineyard’s path has required resilience. After losing a close 4-3 opener to Encino, it eliminated Eastvale 6-5 behind McAninch’s grand slam and then rallied from four runs down to defeat Goleta Valley South, 7-5. Jackson Meadows delivered the sixth-inning grand slam that decided that game.
Thursday’s victory followed a different formula. Vineyard established its lead early, received four controlled innings from McAninch and withstood Scripps Ranch’s final power surge.
Vineyard entered the tournament with one of the field’s most productive offenses, but its survival has depended upon more than scoring. It has won three consecutive elimination games, twice by two runs and once by a single run.
Scripps Ranch’s run ends at 2-2
Scripps Ranch leaves Aliso Viejo with two victories and a dramatically enhanced statewide profile.
SRLL opened the tournament by defeating Eastvale, 5-1, behind Hornyak’s three-run triple and complete-game pitching performance. That result eliminated any doubt about whether the Section 6 champions belonged alongside Southern California’s most highly regarded teams.
Scripps Ranch followed with a 13-hit performance in its 8-5 victory over Ladera Ranch National. Ethan Lum collected three hits, while Hornyak and Cornelissen drove in two runs apiece.
Glendora American eventually handed SRLL its first loss, scoring five times in the sixth inning for a 7-2 victory. Vineyard then ended the run Thursday despite Cornelissen’s late home run.
The final 2-2 record does not fully describe what Scripps Ranch accomplished. It defeated the tournament’s original favorite, reached the winner’s-bracket semifinals and entered its fourth game with a viable route to the championship round.
SRLL also received significant contributions throughout its roster. Hornyak produced the defining hit against Eastvale, Lum led the 13-hit attack against Ladera, Cornelissen contributed offensively and on the mound, and Morton finished the tournament with another two-hit performance.
Next for Vineyard
Vineyard advances to face Encino in the elimination-bracket semifinal, creating a rematch of their opening game.
Encino won that meeting, 4-3, before losing to Sweetwater Valley and responding with a 7-0 elimination victory over defending champion Golden Hill.
The rematch carries considerably more information than the opener. Encino has demonstrated high-end pitching and error-free defense, but Vineyard has established itself as the tournament’s comeback team and most persistent bracket breaker.
The winner will remain alive for a place in the elimination-bracket final. The loser will join Scripps Ranch, Golden Hill, Eastvale, Goleta Valley South, Ladera Ranch National and Rolling Hills among the teams eliminated from one of the deepest Southern California fields in recent memory.
