FALLBROOK — The Carlsbad Youth Baseball 6U All-Star team punched its ticket to the Pony West Zone Finals in Simi Valley after a thrilling 11-9 comeback victory over Mission Bay at the Shetland regional tournament on July 2 in Fallbrook.
The Carlsbad team, consisting of players ages 3 to 6, finished second in last weekend’s top-two tournament, earning an automatic bid to the “World Series” and bypassing the Super Region next weekend in West Covina.
Struggling early from the batter’s box, at one point, Carlsbad trailed by eight runs before battling back to take a two-run lead over Mission Bay in the final inning.
But Carlsbad’s defensive performance won the day, with standout plays from Bowie Valencia and Fynn Garcia, preventing Mission Bay from mounting a comeback in its final at-bat.
With two outs, Garcia, 6, a second baseman, was struck in the head with a ball on an errant throw. Instead of leaving the game, Garcia insisted on playing and made the game-ending out on the next play to seal the win for Carlsbad. 
“It’s amazing. These kids showed toughness like I’ve never seen before,” said Carlsbad head coach Aaron Cuker. “They knew what was at stake, what we had to do. And instead of getting discouraged, they all come together, rallied back, and got the win. To watch 6-year olds with that kind of strength and resilience, it’s just amazing.”
Last season, the Carlsbad 6U All Stars team won its first-ever Pony League regional banner and finished 1-2 at the Pony West Zone Finals.
This year’s Pony West Zone World Series is scheduled for July 13-16 at the Simi Youth Baseball complex in Simi Valley.
In Pool 2, Carlsbad will open the finals against Chino Hills at 4 p.m. on July 13, before taking on Hart Red at 4:30 p.m. on July 15 and wrapping up pool play against East Long Beach at 4 p.m. on July 16. The winner and runner-up from each pool will play in an eight-team, single-elimination tournament for the championship.
The 2023 Carlsbad Youth Baseball 6U All Stars team is Aidan Paulsen, Bowie Valencia, Bradley Gibson, Cole Jacinto, Curren Cuker, Emmett Lohr, Fynn Garcia, Kai Stoughton, Kate Packard, Leonidas Marshall, Lou Shortenhaus, Mateo De La Rosa, and Nixon Andrews.