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VIDEO: Greenwald, Stone Power Encino Little League to Third Consecutive District Championship

See highlights and interviews with the entire 12-year-old all-star team after their 13-8 victory over Northridge in the District 40 championship.

The 12-and-under Encino Little League team seized its first step in the quest to qualify for the Little League World Series at Williamsport, Pa. with a 13-8 victory over Northridge. Encino stormed through District 40 play with an undefeated 4-0 record outscoring opponents 40-12. This is the third consecutive district championship for this group of players, having won the 10-and-under and 11-and-under tournaments the previous two years.

Justin Greenwald hit five RBI’s including a grand slam and scored two runs. Seth Stone added a three-run homer, scored a run and pitched 4.1 innings. Jack Scher, Jamie Robertson and Elijah West each scored twice. Gordon Magruder, Blake Hanson, Mike Cohen and Cameron Bolger each scored once. Bolger, Grant Berman and Shawn Goosenberg each belted one RBI.

Encino will host the Section 2 tournament starting Saturday, July 16. They face District 17 champion Pasadena American in the first round.

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If Encino wins the sectional tournament, they will advance to the Southern California Divisional Tournament in West Covina featuring the top 10 teams in Southern California.

The final step for Encino to qualify for the Little League World Series is the Western Regionals in San Bernardino, where the Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, northern California, Southern California and Utah state champions would all vie for the one western bid.

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Sectional Tournament Schedule (All Games at Encino):
1 - District 16 (Cresenta Valley) vs District 51 (Quartz Hill)  (7/16) 9 a.m.
2 - District 17 (Pasadena American) vs District 40 (Encino) (7/16) at 12 p.m.
3 - Winner 1 vs Winner 2 (7/17) 9 a.m.
4 - Loser 1 vs Loser 2 (elim.) (7/17) 12 p.m.
5 - Loser 3 vs Winner 4 (elim.) (7/18) 5 p.m.
6 - Winner 3 vs Winner 5 (championship) (7/19) 5 p.m.
7 - If necessary (7/20) 5 p.m.

Other Age Groups:

The Encino 14-and-under team also won its third consecutive district championship. They raced through the competition undefeated, outscoring opponents 47-14. Encino defeated Sherman Oaks 6-5 in the championship. The 14-year-olds will play the District 17 champions (San Marino) in the sectionals at Tehachapi Little League at 10 a.m Saturday, July 16.

The Encino 11-and-under team was eliminated 14-3 by Sherman Oaks last Saturday, but finished in the final four of their bracket. They defeated Granada Hills 14-0 and San Fernando 12-2 in the tournament.

The Encino 10-and-under team lost in the district championship game 15-5 to Sherman Oaks. They defeated Northridge 8-2, Woodland Hills 11-7 and Canyon Country 14-4 during the tournament.

*All scores according to the District 40 website

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