Kirk, Sonnier head national rematch

By Ramon Scott
Updated: August 1, 2026

2026 LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL

Two nationally prominent stars lead title contenders into Sunday’s championship round at Woodfield Sports Complex

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

ALISO VIEJO — Noah Kirk and Asher Sonnier entered the Southern California tournament among the players most capable of carrying a team toward San Bernardino.

On Sunday, the two nationally prominent stars will stand on opposite sides of the field with the Southern California championship at stake.

Kirk and unbeaten Sweetwater Valley Little League will face Sonnier and surging Encino in the championship round at Woodfield Sports Complex. Sweetwater Valley needs one victory to secure the title and advance to the West Region Tournament. Encino must win the opening game to force a winner-take-all finale and then defeat SVLL again.

The matchup brings together two of the nation’s leading Little League programs in 2026 and two stars whose contributions extend to every phase of the game.

Kirk has been the centerpiece of Sweetwater Valley’s run from District 42 through Section 7 and into the Southern California final. Sonnier has supplied Encino with elite power, frontline pitching and the defining swing of its elimination-bracket comeback.

They are the headliners, but both teams have reached the championship round by proving they are considerably more than one-player operations.

Kirk leads a complete Sweetwater Valley club

Kirk’s family connection makes him recognizable before the first pitch. He is the nephew of Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk.

His own tournament performance has made him one of the country’s most compelling Little League players.

In Sweetwater Valley’s Section 7 opener against Fletcher Hills, Kirk pitched three innings of one-hit baseball and struck out six. Against Encanto, he delivered 3⅓ scoreless innings of one-hit ball with six strikeouts and no walks.

Kirk also went 3-for-3 with a double, three runs batted in and a run scored in that semifinal victory.

His impact has extended beyond pitching and hitting. Kirk has helped anchor a Sweetwater Valley club that plays with the composure expected from a league that reached Williamsport in 2015 and finished third in the United States.

Manager Steve Winnick has developed options throughout the roster.

Isaac Ramirez has contributed power and important innings.

Leo Gonzales has emerged as one of the state tournament’s pivotal two-way performers.

Julian Sevilla has handled significant pitching assignments, including closing the Section 7 championship victory.

Grant Mielke, James Griffin, Sebastian Pino, Templeton Tran and Jesus Cuadra have all delivered consequential plate appearances during the postseason.

Teagen Cochran, Asher Giglio and Mateo Ruiz help complete a roster that has remained balanced enough to win even when Kirk is not responsible for the decisive moment.

That balance was evident in Sweetwater Valley’s first victory over Encino.

Gonzales decided the first meeting

Kirk may be Sweetwater Valley’s most widely recognized player, but Gonzales supplied the decisive offense when the teams met earlier in the Southern California bracket.

Gonzales hit a two-run home run in the first inning, giving SVLL the only runs it would need.

Sevilla worked the first three innings before Gonzales took the mound and delivered three scoreless innings in relief. Sweetwater Valley protected the 2-1 advantage despite Encino creating repeated opportunities.

Encino stranded 15 runners.

That number tells two stories.

Encino proved it could place extraordinary pressure on Sweetwater Valley’s pitching and defense. SVLL proved it could withstand that pressure without surrendering the decisive hit.

The result pushed Sweetwater Valley forward on the unbeaten side of the bracket and sent Encino into a considerably more demanding journey.

SVLL then defeated Glendora American 2-1 behind another layered pitching effort. Noah Kirk started and allowed one hit over two scoreless innings. Gonzales again supplied scoreless relief, striking out four without issuing a walk.

Mielke drove in the opening run, while Sebastian Pino went 2-for-2 and handled nine defensive chances as Sweetwater Valley completed another error-free victory.

SVLL defeated Encino and Glendora by identical scores, but the games required different responses. Against Encino, Sweetwater Valley repeatedly escaped baserunner traffic. Against Glendora, it protected another narrow advantage after a fourth-inning home run reduced the margin to one.

The common thread was composure.

Sonnier has powered Encino’s response

Sonnier arrived in Aliso Viejo after hitting 10 home runs during the regular season, establishing himself as one of the most dangerous power hitters in the field.

He has reinforced that reputation during Encino’s run back through the bracket.

Sonnier homered during Friday’s 11-0 victory over Vineyard before producing the most important swing of Encino’s postseason Saturday. With Encino trailing Glendora American 2-0 in the fourth inning, he launched a grand slam to left and transformed a potential elimination into a 7-2 victory.

He also completed all six innings on the mound, allowing four hits and striking out seven.

Sonnier’s performance carried the headline, but Encino’s depth has been evident throughout the tournament.

Martinez drove in three runs and homered against Vineyard. Aguilar, Lazo and Anthony Jones also went deep. Walker contributed multiple hits, while Dominic Dimeo, Caleb McDaniel, Vander Lins, Bryce Glushon and Charlie Pollak give Encino additional ways to build an inning.

The District 40 champions have substantial power, but their route back to Sunday has included more than home runs.

Encino has played error-free baseball in consecutive elimination games. Its pitchers allowed two runs over those 10 innings. Its hitters remained patient when Glendora held them scoreless through the first three frames.

Encino enters Sunday after outscoring Golden Hill, Vineyard and Glendora American 25-2 across three elimination victories.

Sweetwater Valley owns the structural advantage

The double-elimination format rewards Sweetwater Valley for reaching the final day without a loss.

SVLL needs to win once.

Encino needs to win twice.

That distinction becomes increasingly important because Encino has traveled through three elimination games and used significant pitching to survive. Sweetwater Valley reached the championship round through the direct side of the bracket and enters with greater flexibility.

Winnick can approach the opening game as the championship game. Encino must be prepared for the possibility of playing—and winning—a second contest.

The first meeting also gives Sweetwater Valley the psychological assurance that it can defeat Encino without producing a large offensive total. SVLL generated only two runs but protected them through six demanding innings.

It would be dangerous, however, to assume the same formula will automatically hold.

Encino’s offense arrives with renewed confidence after hitting five home runs against Vineyard and producing the five-run inning that eliminated Glendora. Fifteen stranded runners in the first meeting represented outstanding Sweetwater Valley execution, but they also showed how frequently Encino came within one hit of overturning the result.

SVLL’s task is to reduce those opportunities rather than rely upon escaping them again.

The championship matchup

Sweetwater Valley’s clearest path begins with pitching and defense.

SVLL must work ahead, limit free passes and prevent Encino from creating the extended plate appearances that can bring Sonnier to the plate with runners aboard. Encino’s lineup is too deep to pitch around one hitter indefinitely, but controlling the circumstances around Sonnier’s appearances will be essential.

Encino must convert opportunities more efficiently than it did in the first meeting. The All-Stars reached base often enough to win but could not produce the hit that converted pressure into runs.

Kirk gives Sweetwater Valley a potential answer in every phase. Sonnier gives Encino the same.

Yet the championship is unlikely to be decided solely by the two stars.

It may turn on another Gonzales home run, a Sevilla relief appearance, a Ramirez extra-base hit, a Martinez rally, a Lazo pitching assignment or an overlooked defensive play from elsewhere on either roster.

That is the appeal of Sunday’s matchup.

Two of the nation’s top players will command the spotlight. Two of Southern California’s deepest teams will decide the championship around them.

Sweetwater Valley enters unbeaten and one victory from San Bernardino.

Encino arrives battle-tested, carrying three consecutive elimination wins and needing two more.

Kirk and Sonnier provide the marquee.

The Southern California championship provides the stakes.

Encino Powers Its Way Back to SoCal Final With Two Elimination Victories

Five home runs overwhelm Vineyard before Asher Sonnier’s grand slam and complete game carry Encino past Glendora American

EastCountySports.com staff report

ALISO VIEJO — Encino Little League fought its way back to the Southern California championship round with two elimination victories that required entirely different performances from one of the nation’s most highly regarded teams.

Encino unleashed five home runs and received four shutout innings from Matt Lazo in an 11-0 victory over Vineyard on Friday. Less than a day later, Asher Sonnier erased a two-run deficit with a fourth-inning grand slam and pitched a complete game in a 7-2 victory over Glendora American at Woodfield Sports Complex.

The consecutive wins advanced Encino into Sunday’s championship round against unbeaten Sweetwater Valley, the only club to defeat Encino during the tournament.

Encino took the long route after that 2-1 loss, but it enters the final day with three consecutive elimination victories and renewed evidence of why it arrived at the Southern California tournament as a national contender.

Vineyard never had an opportunity to settle into Friday’s elimination game.

Liam Martinez opened the scoring with an RBI single in the top of the first inning. Sonnier followed with a two-run home run to left, giving Encino a 3-0 advantage before Vineyard came to bat.

Anthony Jones added a solo home run to right in the second inning before Encino turned the third into a seven-run display of its power.

Martinez launched a three-run home run to left, Lorenzo Aguilar followed with a two-run shot to center and Lazo added a solo homer to center. Encino had produced five home runs and built an 11-run advantage through three innings.

Martinez went 2-for-2 and drove in three runs. Aguilar and Elijah Walker also collected two hits as Encino finished with 11.

The production came from throughout a lineup that already featured one of the tournament’s most feared hitters in Sonnier. Vineyard could not pitch around one dangerous portion of the order because another threat was waiting behind it.

Lazo prevented Vineyard from mounting any response. The right-hander allowed two hits over four scoreless innings, striking out five and walking three.

Encino played error-free defense behind him and turned a double play, eliminating the possibility of an extended Vineyard inning.

The 11-0 victory kept Encino’s season alive and sent the District 40 and Section 2 champion into Saturday’s elimination-bracket final.

The home runs did not follow immediately against Glendora American. The poise did.

Glendora entered Saturday after eliminating Scripps Ranch and Golden Hill, and it placed Encino under pressure almost immediately.

A wild pitch produced Glendora’s first run in the bottom of the opening inning. Jose Ballesteros singled home another in the second, giving the District 20 champion a 2-0 advantage.

Encino entered the fourth inning with only one hit and nine outs remaining in its season. Glendora had prevented the powerful Encino order from producing the damaging inning that buried Vineyard.

With every scoreless frame, the pressure shifted further toward the team fighting through the elimination bracket.

Encino needed one opening. When it arrived, Sonnier changed the game with one swing.

Encino loaded the bases during the top of the fourth and brought Sonnier to the plate with an opportunity to erase everything Glendora had accomplished through the first three innings.

Sonnier drove the ball over the left-field fence for a grand slam. A game Encino had trailed 2-0 became a 5-2 Encino advantage before Glendora recorded the third out.

The home run was Sonnier’s only hit, but it accounted for four runs and provided the support he needed to complete his work on the mound.

Sonnier pitched all six innings, allowing four hits and two runs while striking out seven and walking one. After Ballesteros’ second-inning RBI single, Glendora did not score again.

Given the lead, Sonnier attacked the final three innings without allowing Glendora to produce a counterpunch.

Encino added two insurance runs and finished with five hits. Bryce Glushon, Walker, Lazo and Charlie Pollak joined Sonnier in the hit column.

Encino also worked six walks, ensuring Glendora’s pitchers operated under pressure even while holding the powerful lineup in check early.

For the second consecutive day, Encino did not commit an error. That detail mattered as much as the home runs. Encino’s defense kept Glendora’s early lead within reach, allowing one swing to reverse the game rather than merely reduce the deficit.

Encino manager Brandon Sonnier has developed a postgame routine designed to remind his players that tournament victories are rarely constructed from a single highlight.

During the celebration, he points to each player and asks him to identify what he contributed. The answer might be a hit, a pitch, a defensive play, a walk, a productive out, a baserunning decision or another detail that helped the team advance.

The exercise was especially appropriate after Encino’s two-day survival run.

The home runs supplied the visible force against Vineyard. Lazo supplied the shutout. Against Glendora, the lineup remained patient until the breakthrough arrived, the defense prevented the deficit from expanding and Sonnier delivered the swing that rescued Encino’s season.

Across the two games, Encino outscored Vineyard and Glendora 18-2. Its pitchers allowed six hits over 10 innings, and its defense did not commit an error.

Encino has answered its first postseason loss by winning three consecutive elimination games. The District 40 champions have traveled the longest available route through the bracket, but they have arrived back where they wanted to be.

Encino will play undefeated Sweetwater Valley for the Southern California championship Sunday, needing two victories to advance to the West Region Tournament.

EastCountySports.com

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Kirk, Sonnier head national rematch