Ocean View Little League had some unfinished business on its agenda.

One year after winning the Southern California championship and coming within a game of reaching the Little League World Series, the Huntington Beach league brought back two core players, a potent group of newcomers, and an appetite for more. For Ocean View's opponents, it was a devastating combination.

Ocean View swept past North Sub-Divisional champion Encino Little League in the best two-of-three Southern California championship series at Cortez Park in West Covina, winning the first game of the series 11-1 in four innings and then powering through game two with a 12-1 victory.

The SoCal championship was a springboard in what became a historic summer for the Huntington Beach league: Ocean View bettered its 2010 tournament run by advancing to the Little League World Series, and then capped its tournament run by defeating Hamamatsu Minami (Japan) Little League, 2-1, in the Little League World Series championship game.

Buried beneath the headlines of Ocean View's Williamsport success are a series of impressive Southern California milestones. Ocean View became just the third-ever SoCal league in a 50-plus year timespan to claim back-to-back divisional championships in the major baseball division, and extended its two-year tournament record to 25-2 versus Southland opponents, and 40-6 overall. Ocean View became the first Southern California league ever to win four divisional championships, and after suffering a one-run defeat and a pair of championship game losses in its previous three region tournament appearances, Ocean View became the 43rd Southern California league to reach South Williamsport.

"They are the most dominant team we played all year," said Encino manager Jeff Cohen after Ocean View completed its sweep in the SoCal championship series. "They earned this with great pitching, hitting, and defense."

All three facets of Ocean View's game were on display in the divisional finals. Pitchers Hagen Danner and Ryo Tanaka shut down Encino's offense in the mercy rule-shortened opener, and Nick Pratto and Trevor Windisch matched the effort the next day in the clincher. The victories extended a streak in which Ocean View pitchers allowed two runs or fewer in 20 of their 25 tournament games, including 9 of 13 contests against SoCal competition.

"Our pitching was outstanding over both games," said Ocean View manager Jeff Pratto, whose two starting pitchers, Danner and Nick Pratto, returned from the league's 2010 all-star team. "And our sticks were clicking on all cylinders -- power, gap shots, and hard-hit balls to all fields. The boys are starting to really put the complete game together throughout the entire lineup."

Ocean View's hit parade began before Encino came to the plate in the series' first game as Nick Pratto drove a two-run homer that gave Danner and Tanaka all the runs they would need. The next inning, Ocean View piled on seven more runs, with Windisch and Anthony Martinez each slamming three-run homers. Danner added a solo shot in the third that extended the District 62 champions' lead to a 12-0 margin before Encino cracked the scoreboard on Gordon MacGruder's run-scoring single in the bottom of the frame.

"We wanted to come out and make a statement," said Jeff Pratto after the win. "We were able to get some early runs, strike out the side in the bottom of the inning, and then have the big inning in the second. We wanted to start out fast."

"We had to exhaust our main guys to get here," said Cohen, whose Encino team had played a trio of elimination games and had just one day off after suffering a 4-3 loss to Conejo Valley Little League in the North Sub-Divisional winner's bracket finals. "So we knew it was going to be a tough one today. We had to throw our best guys Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday after losing Monday, so they weren't available today. We were hoping to squeeze through today."

Danner scored three runs from the leadoff position in the batting order for Ocean View, while catcher Braydon Salzman doubled and scored in the second before adding a two-run single in the third.

The next day, Ocean View again jumped to a 2-0 lead, and pounded 15 hits while closing out the series with an 11-1 victory. Danner paced the offense with a 4-for-4 afternoon that included a pair of home runs, four runs scored, and four runs batted in. Windisch followed Danner's fourth inning home run with a solo shot of his own, and had three hits while Nick Pratto also collected three hits.

Encino threatened in the first when Jack Scher and Jamie Robertson opened the inning with consecutive singles but Pratto struck out the side and went on to retire 14 of 15 hitters. The Ocean View hurler struck out nine, walked none, and allowed just one additional hit before Windisch struck out the side in the sixth to close out the win.

Ocean View reached the divisional finals with a trio of wins in the South Sub-Divisional tournament at Fountain Valley Little League's field. The Huntington Beach team rolled past Fontana Community Little League, 13-2 in four innings, then vaulted into the championship game with a 5-1 victory over Canyon Springs Little League.

Ocean View used four pitchers in the win over Canyon Springs, despite holding just a 2-1 lead through five innings. Danner and Canyon Springs pitcher Isaac Flores each belted solo home runs in the first, and the only other scoring until the sixth came when a pair of Canyon Springs errors led to an Ocean View run in the third inning.

"We knew it would be a pitching duel," said Ocean View manager Jeff Pratto of his team's matchup with Canyon Springs. "Isaac Flores is one of the top twelve-year-old pitchers in Little League, travel ball, and in the state. He and Hagan have battled each other in travel ball and both are outstanding."

Flores struck out eleven hitters in five innings before reaching his pitch count limit, which Ocean View aided by working the count throughout the game.

"We knew they were going to run Isaac Flores," said Jeff Pratto. "And in out mind, if our guys could come up with five foul balls and a ten-pitch at-bat, that would be a success (and) it would really work him. We had several guys who were able to do that."

With Flores forced from the mound in the sixth, Ocean View added a trio of insurance runs as Nick Pratto opened the inning with a single, Jack Furry reached on an error, and Steven Kotkosky deposited a three-run home run beyond the center field fence.

Two days later, Ocean View trailed Chula Vista's Park View Little League by a 3-1 margin entering the sixth inning, and still trailed by a run when down to its final strike before rallying for a 5-4 victory.

Park View starter Ben Ramirez held Ocean View hitless and scoreless through four innings in the game, but then exited after reaching his pitch count limit. Ocean View tallied its first run in the fifth, and added one in the sixth but still faced a 3-2 deficit with two outs. Danner extended the inning with a walk, and Windisch battled through a ten-pitch at-bat by fouling off four full count pitches before also walking. Nick Pratto then pulled his team into the lead with a three-run homer to right center field.

Tre Brown narrowed the Ocean View lead with a solo home run in the sixth, but Salzman recorded two outs and turned the ball over to Nick Pratto for a game-ending strikeout that pushed Ocean View into the divisional finals.

Park View built its early lead on home runs by Ramirez and Alex Melgoza.

Encino won its first two games in the North Sub-Divisional tournament, but a 4-3 loss to Conejo Valley pushed the District 40 champions into the bottom bracket and forced them to win a trio of games to reach the divisional finals.

Encino dispatched El Segundo Little League, 2-1, on a pair of solo home runs, then used a nine-run fifth inning to break free of Conejo Valley in a 16-5 victory that forced the tournament to a final game.

Encino spotted Conejo Valley an 8-3 lead after the first inning of that deciding contest, but pulled to within a run and then scored eight of its own in the fourth inning en route to a 16-10 victory. Encino reliever Justin Greenwald retired the final five hitters he faced to lift Encino into the Southern California championship series for the first time in the league's history.

Encino's Junior League all-star team also reached the divisional finals in what proved to be a breakout year for the Valley league.

But the real breakthrough belonged to Ocean View. Kotkosky's dramatic two-run home run in the sixth inning powered the SoCal champions past Northern California's Red Bluff Little League in the West Region championship game, and after a surprising loss to Big Sky Little League (Billings, Montana) at the Little League World Series, Ocean View won its final three games to claim the Little League World Series championship.

Nearly two months after starting tournament play, and a full year after coming oh-so-close to reaching the Little League World Series, Ocean View had emerged the last team standing.