By Special to the Town Crier

On their way to capturing the Los Altos-Mountain View Pony Division title, the Braves created several anxious moments for their coaches and fans by making a habit out of comeback wins.

The team of 13- and 14-year-olds (15-5 in league) won eight games in its final two at-bats.

The Braves produced a pair of come-from-behind victories in the league tournament, which they won June 11 at Rosita Field.

In the first game of the tourney, the Braves rallied to squeak by the fourth-seeded Indians 14-13. The Indians - sparked by Joe Hatasaki’s strong relief pitching, four hits by Brendan Ward and solid defense - led 13-7 entering the final inning. The Braves battled back with a seven-run rally, capped by Ricky Roy’s game-winning double.

The Braves’ Tim Busbin contributed four hits in the game and Nick Lam had three hits and three RBIs. Chris Jensen earned the win, pitching 6 2/3 innings.

Meanwhile, the No. 2 Blue Jays won the other semifinal, beating the No. 3 Cubs in a thriller. In the top of the seventh, Tom Jones launched a home run to give the Cubs a 6-5 lead. But in the bottom of the inning, the Jays’ Todd Yecies won the game with a shot to deep right.

This set the stage for the Jays to meet the Braves for the title.

The Braves went on to win the title, 9-7, by breaking a 6-all tie in the fifth. Roy and Kyle Wulff each singled and scored on Niko Lemak’s double to deep center field. Matt Essary had three hits and three runs to lead the Braves’ 15 hit attack, while Chesley Douglas reached base safely in 5 of his 7 at bats in the two-game series, delivering clutch hits in both contests. Busbin pitched five strong innings for the win, while Jensen earned the save. Jensen and Busbin each threw out Blue Jay base-runners, slowing down coach Steve Yecies’ well-known running game. The Braves were aided by strong defensive play by Mike Van Brockhorst, Jim Feliz and Douglas.

Rockies ‘rock’ competition

“Rockies Rock!” was the cheer that rallied a Los Altos-Mountain View Pony Baseball Bronco Division team to the championship earlier this month.

After a strong start, the Rockies had a rocky finish to the regular season. But it was a whole new ball game when the playoffs came around.

The Rockies were fired up.

One week and three wins later, they were in the championship game against the Devil Rays.

Rockies head coach Mike Griego, in Cuba due to a prior commitment, called in periodically during the game to check the status. The final call came after the final out, at which time the whole winning team shouted into a cell phone to Griego, “Rockies Rock!”