The all-star team from the Chula Vista-based Park View Little League is scheduled to begin play in the West Regional tournament in San Bernardino Saturday tonight, facing the all-star team from Vacaville Central Little League, the Northern California champion.
Park View qualified for the West Regional by winning the Southern California championship, defeating the Redondo Beach Little League all-star team two games to none in the best-of-three championship series, including an 11-8 victory in Game 2 last Sunday in Escondido.
Park View was facing elimination when it lost its opener in the South Subregional July 23 to the all-star team from the Bloomington Little League, then won its next five games, including a 9-5 victory over Bloomington in the elimination bracket final three days later.
Park View also faced elimination when it lost the opening game of the District 42 Tournament Championship Series 3-1 to the all-star team from the Chula Vista American Little League July 10, but won the rematch, 11-4, the next day.
Park View has a 14-2 record in its three tournaments.
If Park View wins tonight's 7:30 p.m. game, it will next play at 4:30 p.m. Monday against the all-star team from the Cactus Foothills South Little League, the Arizona state champion.
A loss would relegate Park View to an elimination bracket game at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday against the loser of Monday's game between the all-star teams from the Snow Canyon Little League, the Utah state champion, and the winner of Saturday's game between the all-star teams from the Central East Maui Little League, the Hawaii state champion, and the Mountain Ridge Little League, the Nevada state champion.
The tournament winner will advance to the Little League World Series, which is played in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Eleven teams from San Diego County have played in the Little League World Series, including the 2015 Sweetwater Valley Little League all-star team.
The 2009 Park View Little League all-star team won the Little League World Series and began a stretch of three San Diego County teams reaching the Little League World Series in seven years.
San Diego County's other Little League World Series champion was the 1961 team from the El Cajon-La Mesa Northern Little League, whose roster included future NFL quarterback Brian Sipe.
The West Regional will be played at Al Houghton Stadium in San Bernardino. All games through Wednesday will be televised by the ESPN3 broadband network.
The Thursday and Friday games will be televised by ESPN, while Saturday's championship game will be on ESPN2, as ESPN will be televising the Los Angeles Rams-Dallas Cowboys NFL exhibition game.
