Giants shut out Eagles for St. Helena Little League Majors title
When Piotr Larson reached the 85-pitch limit of Little League Major Division baseball with his 15th strikeout, Spencer Crebs reached base on a dropped third strike.
Not a problem for Larson's Steves Hardware Giants. Julian Quintero came in and got the next batter to fly out to second baseman Henry Waters, who doubled off Crebs at first to cap an 8-0 victory over the American Legion Eagles in the St. Helena championship game for 10- to 12-year-olds.
Along with getting all but three outs with K's, Larson allowed only three hits with no walks or hit batters in his 5 1/3 innings of work.
"Piotr was dealing. He earned that moment," Giants manager Ted Smith said. "He came back from rehab earlier this season and put in every bit of work and patience we asked of him. His younger brother, Arek, played up with us this year, too, so it was a real family day. And none of it happens without 10 other guys behind him competing just as hard and hitting the ball."
Six different Giants each had a double, including all four of their multiple-hitters - Zoltan Smith (3 for 3, run, stolen base), Luciano Di Costanzo (2 for 3, three RBI), Waters (2 for 3, two runs) and Larson (2 for 2, walk, RBI, run).
The Giants got on the board with a three-spot in the bottom of the third. Waters' double, a walk, Larson's RBI double, and Di Costanzo's two-run double gave the Eagles a 3-0 lead with no outs.
Eagles starter Jack Spehling struck out three of the next four batters to get out of the jam. But he reached his pitch limit in the fourth after giving up a leadoff single to Smith and hurling his ninth strikeout. Spehling gave up four earned runs on six hits and four walks.
The Giants tacked on three more runs in the fourth. Smith scored on a one-out double by Benjamin Koon, Waters singled and, after another out and Larson was intentionally walked to load the bases, Di Costanzo singled in Koon and Quintero walked to drive in Waters to make it 6-0.
The Giants closed the scoring in the fifth. Anker Anderson walked on a full count and scored on a double by Izhar Lopez, who scored on an error.
"This was a team-chemistry story from start to finish," Smith said. "Ten- to 12-year-olds from five or six different schools and by the tournament they were one unit, talking baseball in the dugout, picking each other up, genuinely having each other's backs. I've coached a lot of teams. This group was special.
"I'm proudest of how they handled adversity. Baseball humbles you constantly, and these kids learned to reset, stay honest, and keep competing. They never complained at practice, never pointed fingers in games. That comes from their families, and I want the parents to know how much that mattered."
The Eagles got a double from Spehling, who was stranded at third base in the second inning, and singles from Crebs and George Blaum, who were left at second base in the fourth and fifth, respectively.
"I have to tip my hat to the Eagles and their coach, Jeff Blaum. The American Legion puts a great team on the field every year and this year was no different. Their kids competed with real class. A result like this only means something when the other team makes you earn it - and they did."
Smith also thanked his coaches, Massimo Di Costanzo and Dr. Brian Marsh.
"They gave an enormous amount of time and knowledge to these athletes all season, and this championship belongs to them as much as anyone," he said. "And a sincere thank you to the Menegon family at Steves Hardware. Their sponsorship year after year is what makes Little League work in this community. We don't get to play without people like them."
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This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 6:17 PM.