Sweetwater Valley wins SoCal banner

SWEETWATER VALLEY BLANKS ENCINO, CAPTURES SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHAMPIONSHIP

Kirk, Gonzales combine on two-hit shutout as SVLL defeats nationally ranked rival for second time, advances to West Region

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

SAN BERNARDINO — Sweetwater Valley Little League left no doubt about Southern California’s best team.

Noah Kirk and Leo Gonzales combined on a two-hit shutout, Sweetwater Valley collected 10 hits throughout its lineup and the District 42 champions completed an unbeaten state tournament by overwhelming nationally ranked Encino, 9-0, in Sunday’s Southern California championship game at Al Houghton Stadium.

The victory gave Sweetwater Valley its first Southern California championship in the Little League Baseball division since its celebrated 2015 team continued through the West Region and reached the Little League World Series.

This year’s club now receives the same opportunity.

Sweetwater Valley advances to the four-team West Region Tournament beginning Aug. 9 in San Bernardino, where it will join Arizona champion Chandler National, Hawaii champion Kawaihau Community and Northern California champion San Ramon Valley. The regional champion advances to the Little League Baseball World Series in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Sweetwater Valley completed the Southern California tournament with a 5-0 record, outscoring Golden Hill, Goleta Valley South, Encino and Glendora American by a combined 21-2. It threw three shutouts and never allowed more than one run in any game.

Its two most consequential victories came against Encino, a club ranked fourth nationally in the latest independent poll entering the tournament. Sweetwater Valley, ranked ninth at the time, defeated Encino 2-1 in the winner’s-bracket semifinal and then dismantled the same opponent in the championship.

Those two results—and particularly Sunday’s nine-run decision—give Sweetwater Valley a compelling argument for a place among the top five Little League teams in the country entering regional competition.

Kirk controls championship game

Sweetwater Valley’s pitching had carried the club throughout its state-tournament run, and Kirk made certain the championship followed the same formula.

The right-hander worked 5⅓ scoreless innings, allowing only two singles while striking out seven and walking four. Encino placed runners aboard but never developed the sustained pressure that had made it one of Southern California’s most dangerous offensive teams.

Each time Encino appeared capable of creating an opening, Kirk closed it.

Gonzales entered with two outs remaining and completed the shutout by retiring both batters he faced. He secured the championship when Bryce Glushon lifted a fly ball for the final out, triggering Sweetwater Valley’s celebration on the Al Houghton Stadium field.

The combined performance was the latest in a series of dominant outings by a deep SVLL staff.

Kirk opened the state tournament by striking out 12 in a complete-game, 2-0 shutout of defending Southern California champion Golden Hill. Isaac Ramirez and Gonzales combined to blank previously unbeaten Goleta Valley South, 6-0. Gonzales and Julian Sevilla then held Encino to one run in the teams’ first meeting.

Sweetwater Valley’s pitchers allowed two total runs across five games against the best teams Southern California could produce.

Tran starts the scoring

Encino starter Matt Lazo kept the championship scoreless through the opening inning, but Sweetwater Valley broke through in the second.

Templeton Tran delivered the first damaging swing, driving a double that brought home the game’s opening run and gave Kirk a 1-0 advantage.

Lazo limited Sweetwater Valley to two hits and one run over his two innings, striking out four and walking one. Once Encino turned to its bullpen, however, the depth of the SVLL lineup took control.

Sweetwater Valley ultimately amassed 10 hits. Tran and Grant Mielke finished with two hits apiece, while Sebastian Pino, Tran and Mielke each drove in two runs.

Rather than relying upon one decisive home run, Sweetwater Valley applied pressure throughout the batting order and steadily separated from an Encino club that had fought through three consecutive elimination games to earn its rematch.

The nine runs represented more than Sweetwater Valley had scored in its first four state-tournament games combined. The offensive breakthrough arrived on championship day against the highest-ranked opponent in the field.

Complete performance

Sweetwater Valley’s defense completed the championship without committing an error. Jesus Cuadra handled a team-high eight fielding chances as the Southern California champions consistently converted the opportunities created by Kirk and Gonzales.

Encino’s only hits came from Anthony Jones and Dominic DiMeo.

The shutout was especially striking considering the opponent. Encino had hit five home runs in an 11-0 elimination victory over Vineyard before Asher Sonnier delivered a grand slam and complete-game pitching performance in a 7-2 victory over Glendora American.

Sweetwater Valley neutralized that lineup for the second time in less than a week.

Encino scored once across 12 innings against SVLL pitching. Sweetwater Valley’s two victories over the nationally ranked District 40 champions came by a combined score of 11-1.

From District 42 to Section 7 to SoCal tournament

Sweetwater Valley’s dominance did not begin at the state tournament.

The club swept through the Section 7 tournament by defeating Fletcher Hills, Encanto and Imperial by a combined score of 31-1. Kirk, Ramirez, Gonzales, Pino, Sevilla, Mielke and Tran helped establish Sweetwater Valley as the Southern California favorite before the team arrived in Aliso Viejo.

Across its eight section and state tournament games, Sweetwater Valley is undefeated and has outscored its opponents 52-3.

The numbers explain why this team enters the West Region as the favorite. The pitching staff has depth, the defense has remained reliable and the offense demonstrated Sunday that it can produce a big inning against championship-level competition.

Manager Steve Winnick and coaches Joe Griffin and Zach Patterson will now lead Sweetwater Valley into the next stage of a run that has evoked memories of the league’s 2015 Williamsport team.

That Sweetwater Valley club won the Southern California and West Region championships before finishing third in the United States bracket at the Little League World Series.

The 2026 team has secured the first of those banners.

West Region awaits

Sweetwater Valley opens the West Region Tournament against Northern California champion San Ramon Valley at noon Sunday, Aug. 9, at the Little League Western Region complex in San Bernardino.

The second opening-round game matches nationally ranked Chandler National of Arizona against Kawaihau Community of Hawaii at 3 p.m.

The winners meet Aug. 11, while the opening-game losers enter the elimination side of the double-elimination bracket. The West Region championship is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14. The complete tournament schedule is available through Little League International.

Chandler National and Kawaihau will bring national credentials of their own, while San Ramon Valley arrives as Northern California’s champion. A complete EastCountySports West Region preview will examine all four clubs before tournament play begins.

Sweetwater Valley, however, will enter San Bernardino as the team to beat.

It has won eight consecutive section and state tournament games, allowed three total runs and defeated one of the country’s most highly regarded clubs twice.

Ten years after Sweetwater Valley last carried Southern California into the West Region, the road back to Williamsport is open again.

This team is three victories from completing the journey.

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2026 LITTLE LEAGUE WEST REGION TOURNAMENT

At Little League Western Region Headquarters
San Bernardino, California
All times Pacific
Double elimination

Sunday, Aug. 9
Game 1 — Sweetwater Valley (Southern California) vs. San Ramon Valley (Northern California), noon
Game 2 — Chandler National (Arizona) vs. Kawaihau Community (Hawaii), 3 p.m.

Monday, Aug. 10
Game 3 — Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 3 p.m. (elimination)

Tuesday, Aug. 11
Game 4 — Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 6:30 p.m. (winner advances to championship game)

Wednesday, Aug. 12
Game 5 — Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser, 6 p.m. (elimination; winner advances to championship game)

Friday, Aug. 14
Game 6 — Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 6 p.m. (championship)

The West Region champion advances to the 2026 Little League Baseball World Series in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

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