Special to the Times Vedette
Connor Moylan, the grandson of Patrick and Deb Moylan of Panora, played on the Tri-Valley California All-Stars team and competed in the Babe Ruth 14U World Series, advancing to the championship before losing a close game, 9-8.
The Tri-Valley California All-Stars is made up of players from around the Danville, California, area). The team won the Pacific Southwest Region championship in Long Beach, California, a couple of weeks ago, competing against regional winners from the states of Arizona, Utah, Nevada.
Winning the region qualified the team for the World Series in Eagle Pass, Texas, alongside 10 other U.S. regional champions and nine international teams. They flew into San Antonio, Texas, on Aug. 6 and drove to Eagle Pass for the 10-day tournament, returning home Aug. 16.
The team defeated Mexico, Aruba, the Caribbean team twice, and Reedsburg, Wisconsin. In the semi-finals on Friday night, they knocked off the No. 1 seed from Tallahassee, Florida, winning 8-6 in extra innings. This brought them to the championship game on Saturday against the host team, Eagle Pass. They battled to the final inning with a chance to tie or take the lead, but came up just one hit short, losing 9-8.
The conditions were intense with on-field temperatures more than 100 F and reaching around 125 F in the dugouts. Because they won their first four games straight (Aug. 8-11), they earned a bye on the Aug. 12 before playing again on Aug. 13, Aug. 14 and the championship on Aug. 15.
Shaun Moylan, Connor’s father and the son of Patrick and Deb Moylan, coaches the team. Shaun and Connor have now coached and played in back-to-back World Series (U13 and U14), following their trip two years ago to the U12 Cooperstown week-long tournament in New York.
The Tri Valley, California, baseball team
Connor Moylan and Shaun Moylan
Alex Wierzbinski, Connor Moylan, Shaun Moylan and CJ McMillan