by 
Kearny Major All Stars congratulate Johnathan Chester after his home run. Photo courtesy John Petty, K&K Photography,
The Kearny Major All-Stars (11-12 Division) defeated Hayden on June 27, 4 – 3, to advance within three wins of claiming the District 11 Championship and a berth in the Arizona State Tournament next month.
Kearny opened the district tournament on June 23 with a 10 – 1 loss to Pinal Mountain, which has already secured a berth in the championship series. But Kearny has rebounded nicely with consecutive wins versus San Carlos (12 – 0) and Hayden on June 24-25.
Johnathon Chester’s out-of-the-park homerun highlighted Kearny’s shutout win over San Carlos last Saturday night.
Kearny needs a win over Mt. Graham on Tuesday, June 28 to reach the District Championship against Pinal Mountain, who is undefeated so far. Kearny would need to defeat Pinal Mountain twice to advance to the state tournament.
Upcoming schedule: June 28 vs. Mt. Graham at 6 p.m., June 29 vs. Pinal Mtn. at 6 p.m., if necessary, and June 30 vs. Pinal Mtn. at 6 p.m., if necessary. All games are played at Pinal Mountain Little League, Field 1.
Update: The Kearny Majors All Stars lost their game to Mt. Graham. They will play the Hayden Majors All Stars on Monday, July 4, at 6:30 p.m. at the Kearny Little League Field. The concession stand will be open. Come out and enjoy America’s Past Time on America’s Birthday!
The Hayden-Winkelman Minor All-Stars, District Runner-Ups. Photo courtesy Marisa Guzman-Gallego.
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
by by