Benicia’s Big League all-stars were eliminated from the Northern California Tournament in San Leandro on Sunday after a 3-1 loss to Sacramento.

Benicia, which went 2-2 overall in the tournament, was trying to win its second straight NorCal championship.

“All of our players are from Benicia whereas the other teams we were playing were comprised of all-stars from their entire respective districts,” noted Benicia manager Jon Wood. “We held up our end and played very well. I was very proud of our players and I think we represented Benicia and our district well.”

Benicia beat Fremont-Newark, 6-3, in an elimination game on Saturday. Niko Leon Guerrero pitched 6 2/3 innings before being removed due to a pitch-count limit and scattered eight hits and three walks with four strikeouts. Miguel Ibarra recorded the final out to earn the save.

Benicia scored three unearned runs in the second inning. Spencer Vercelli laid down a sacrifice bunt which Fremont’s catcher threw down the first base line, allowing Justin Badger and Nate Edwins to score. Vercelli later scored on a Leon Guerrero RBI single.

Leon Guerrero added two more RBIs in the fourth inning with a single that scored Vercelli and Drew Saitz, giving Benicia a 5-1 lead. Williams scored on a sacrifice fly by Tom Dalby in the top of the seventh to make it 6-1.

But Benicia’s offense struggled the following day. Sacramento scored single runs in each of the first three innings for a 3-0 lead before Ibarra doubled in the fifth and scored on a Saitz single. Benicia had its chances catch Sacramento in the late innings but couldn’t come up with the big hit.

Sacramento advances to the championship round against Milpitas, which beat Benicia in the tournament opener last Wednesday.

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