The outfield fences at Al Houghton Stadium in San Bernardino, California, sit exactly 200 feet from home plate, just as they have since the venue first played host to a Little League Baseball region tournament in 1971. With the baseballs flying out of the park at a record pace in the 2005 West Region tournament, it only seemed like they were closer.

More than ever before, hitters took center stage in San Bernardino. The six tournament participants combined for 52 home runs in fifteen games, and tape measure shots were not in short supply. Three different players homered twice in an inning in one game; in another, three players hit grand slams. The Arizona representative allowed ten runs in one game and fifteen in another, and won both contests. Overall, winning teams averaged over twelve runs per game, and only twice did the victor fail to score seven or more runs.

"The name of the game is offense," said Rancho Buena Vista Little League (Vista, Southern California) coach Joe Pimentel after one of his team's mercy rule victories at the tournament. "We constantly work on hitting. We hit every day."

Especially on game day. Rancho Buena Vista reached the region championship game in part due to a potent offense that hit twelve home runs, scored 56 runs, and posted a collective .417 batting average in five games.

"(Rancho Buena Vista) just has tremendous hitters," said Snow Canyon Little League (Santa Clara, Utah) manager Travis Gates after a 16-0 loss to the Southern California champions early in the tournament. "(They) will hit every mistake."

But not everyone immediately joined in Rancho Buena Vista's hit parade. Center fielder/first baseman Reed Reznicek managed only one hit in eleven at bats while his team rolled to three mercy rule wins in its four pool competition games. When the stakes were considerably higher in the region championship game, though, Reznicek more than carried his share of the offensive load.

Reznicek hit a pair of home runs, including a fifth inning grand slam that snapped a 2-2 tie, as Rancho Buena Vista defeated Tracy National (Northern California) Little League, 7-2, in the West Region championship game at Al Houghton Stadium.

With the win, Rancho Buena Vista advanced to the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

"Twenty games ago when we started this thing, our goal was just to get (to San Bernardino)," said Marty Miller, the team's manager. "Going to Williamsport is just a bonus ... it doesn't get any better than this."

Reznicek's home runs played a large role in securing that bonus for the Southern California champions. Third baseman Alex Flores had given Tracy National an early lead with a two-run home run over the right center field fence in the second inning, and pitcher Kyle Moses held Rancho Buena Vista scoreless through the third. In the fourth, second baseman Royce Copeland reached on an infield hit, and Reznicek tied the game with a drive that hit the top of the scoreboard just beyond the right center field fence. Batting again in the next inning with the bases loaded, Reznicek launched a nearly identical shot that ricocheted off the 'Welcome to San Bernardino' sign on the scoreboard. Center fielder Daniel Gibney added a solo home run two batters later, and Rancho Buena Vista was soon on its way toward a 'Welcome to Williamsport' sign in Central Pennsylvania.

"Reed was in a little bit of a slump," said Miller after the game. "His dad worked with him in the batting cage, and he came through big today."

"We had been going out early before batting practice and working on some things," said Randy Reznicek, Reed's father and a Rancho Buena Vista coach. "Watching him round those bases -- both times -- I could hardly keep from crying."

While Reznicek provided the offensive heroics, pitcher Nathan Lewis kept Tracy National's offense in check. The left-hander struck out nine, walked none, and allowed only three hits in a complete game effort. Lewis had also been the starting pitcher in Rancho Buena Vista's tournament-clinching wins in district, sectional, and divisional tournament play.

"We call hime our number two pitcher," said Miller, who had used ace Kalen Pimentel in the semifinal round. "But he is really a 1A or 1B. He hasn't lost all year, knock on wood.

"He gets really pumped up for the big game," added Miller. "He doesn't fall apart."

Neither did Rancho Buena Vista despite trailing for only the fourth time since the start of international tournament play.

"Once we get through our lineup once and everyone has seen (the opposing) starting pitcher, we're tough," said Miller before the game.

True to their manager's prediction, Rancho Buena Vista's offense began to click the second time through the order.

"Once we got the two runs, we relaxed and everything changed," said Miller.

The third time through was the difference. Lewis led off the fifth inning with a walk, and moved to third on Pimentel's double. Copeland, who had homered against Tracy National during pool play, was walked intentionally, setting the stage for Reznicek's decisive blow.

"I'd do the same thing again if I had to do it all over again," said Tracy National manager Emmett Lee of the intentional walk to Copeland, who hit .583 (7-for-12) in the region tournament.

"I think (Lee) made the right move," concurred Miller.

"They have such good hitters," said Lee. "We couldn't (stop) them all."

Rancho Buena Vista's hitting -- as well as the team's stellar pitching -- was on display throughout the tournament, with different players leading the way from game to game. Lewis and Pimentel paced Rancho Buena Vista in the team's first game, hitting back-to-back home runs that opened up a 6-1 lead in a 12-2, five inning win over Peccole Little League (Las Vegas, Nevada). Lewis had three hits in the game, while Copeland had two and scored twice. Pimentel, meanwhile, struck out ten batters and scattered six hits to earn the win.

Two days later, Johnny Dee led the way as the Southern California champions topped Snow Canyon, 16-0, in four innings. Dee delivered a grand slam home run to highlight a ten run first inning rally that served as a wakeup call for the 9:30 a.m. game. Pimentel later added a mammoth, 320-foot home run well beyond the left field fence, and Dee, who had three hits and drove in six runs, added another homer in the second. Lewis and Danny Vivier also homered later in the game. Lost amid the fireworks was the pitching of Copeland and Austin White, who each struck out four batters while combining on a four inning no-hitter.

"Our confidence is very high right now," said Miller. "We've be happy to win 1-0, but this is definitely a boost for us."

Rancho Buena Vista received another boost in their next game, scoring multiple runs in each of their three at-bats while downing Chandler National (Arizona) Little League, 10-0. Lewis allowed only one hit over three innings, and paced the offense by homering in a third consecutive game. Copeland contributed three run-scoring singles, and the Southern California champions clinched a semifinal round berth with the win.

The next day, Rancho Buena Vista topped previously undefeated Tracy National, 5-2. Copeland threw a complete game, and put the Southland's team in front for good with a two-run homer in the third inning. Gibney added a home run, and provided the defensive play of the game by reaching over the center field fence to snare Casey Wichman's would-be home run in the third inning.

Jacob Lopez provided the offense for Tracy National, homering in the second inning and delivering an RBI double in the third.

With the two clubs guaranteed berths in two different semifinal round games, Lee hoped his team would get another shot at the Southern California kingpins.

"I know (Rancho Buena Vista) is going to be there," said the NoCal manager of the tournament's championship game. "And I hope we're there, too."

Both teams won their way to the title game with emphatic semifinal round wins. Tracy National homered three times in the second inning, and pitcher Michael Hager threw a four-hitter as Tracy eliminated Chandler National, 10-0. Wichman opened the scoring with his second inning blast, and two batters later, Lopez hit a solo shot of his own. After Flores reached base, Joshua Wesley capped the inning with a two-run homer. Hager, who struck out eight and walked none, added a three-run homer over the center field fence in the third inning to put the game out of reach.

Later that evening, Pimentel struck out thirteen batters, and Rancho Buena Vista used big fourth and fifth inning rallies to dispatch the Nevada champions, 13-2.

Peccole, which led all teams with seventeen home runs in the tournament, struck first when Tyler Kartler drove a bases loaded double into the right center field gap in the top of the fourth. Reznicek, breaking out of his slump, tied the game with his own two-run double in the bottom of the inning, and Dee's bloop single to short right field put Rancho Buena Vista in front. The next inning, the Southern California champions hit three home runs and scored nine times to clinch the victory. Vivier launched a grand slam that widened the SoCal lead to 11-2, and Pimentel's second two-run homer of the inning involked the mercy rule and set up the thirteenth all-California region championship matchup since 1957, and the first since 1997.

"We played really well for a total of about seven innings against them," said Peccole manager Bobby Burns after the game. "But unfortunately, you have to play well for twelve innings. But I'm really proud of our kids."

In a precursor to the title game, Rancho Buena Vista did its damage the second time through the batting order.

"Once we got through the order once, that's when we got on him," said Miller of Nevada's pitcher.

"When we were down 2-0, we were nervous, but we felt we would eventually get them," he added.

Two nights later, Reznicek led the late-game push as Rancho Buena Vista booked their trip to South Williamsport.

"We knew we could have a decent team," said Miller of his team's hopes coming into the international tournament. "That if the pitching held up, we could do some damage."

The pitching more than held up, as Rancho Buena Vista allowed only eight runs at the region tournament, and only four home runs over six games.

Rancho Buena Vista eventually stretched its winning streak to 24 games, reaching the U.S. championship game at the Little League World Series before falling, 6-1, to eventual champion West Oahu Little League (Ewa Beach, Hawaii).

Linescores:

Pool Play Game 1	1	2	3	4	5	6		R	H	E
Chandler National (Arizona)	0	3	0	0	1	0		4	3	0
Snow Canyon (Utah)	0	0	0	0	0	3		3	5	4
Pool Play Game 2
Tracy National (NoCal)	1	4	0	4	4			13	11	0
Gillette (Wyoming)	1	0	0	0	0			1	1	2
Pool Play Game 3
Peccole (Nevada)	0	0	1	0	1			2	6	2
Rancho Buena Vista (SoCal)	1	0	1	7	3			12	9	0
Pool Play Game 4
Peccole (Nevada)	0	1	0	0	6	0		7	11	0
Tracy National (NoCal)	5	1	0	0	0	2		8	11	1
Pool Play Game 5
Snow Canyon (Utah)	0	0	0	0				0	0	3
Rancho Buena Vista (SoCal)	10	4	2	x				16	13	0
Pool Play Game 6
Laramie (Wyoming)	1	0	4	2	2	1		10	9	1
Chandler National (Arizona)	5	3	3	1	2	x		14	16	3
Pool Play Game 7
Laramie (Wyoming)	4	0	0	0				4	3	1
Peccole (Nevada)	7	9	0	x				16	18	0
Pool Play Game 8
Chandler National (Arizona)	0	0	0	0				0	1	0
Rancho Buena Vista (SoCal)	2	5	3	x				10	8	2
Pool Play Game 9
Peccole (Nevada)	4	11	4	11				30	22	1
Snow Canyon (Utah)	1	0	0	2				3	4	2
Pool Play Game 10
Rancho Buena Vista (SoCal)	1	0	2	0	1	1		5	6	1
Tracy National (NoCal)	0	1	1	0	0	0		2	8	0
Pool Play Game 11
Laramie (Wyoming)	2	0	1	2	0	2		7	10	1
Snow Canyon (Utah)	0	0	0	2	0	0		2	7	4
Pool Play Game 12
Tracy National (NoCal)	6	0	0	4	1	4		15	16	2
Chandler National (Arizona)	5	3	0	0	5	3		16	13	2
Semifinal Round
Chandler National (Arizona)	0	0	0	0	0			0	4	1
Tracy National (NoCal)	0	4	3	2	1			10	8	1
Semifinal Round
Peccole (Nevada)	0	0	0	2	0			2	3	1
Rancho Buena Vista (SoCal)	0	0	0	4	9			13	9	1
Championship Game
Tracy National (NoCal)	0	2	0	0	0	0		2	3	2
Rancho Buena Vista (SoCal)	0	0	0	2	5	x		7	6	0

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