ATWATER -- The 12-year-old American All-Star team made their way to Atwater on Monday to face one of the four remaining teams in the All-Star Tournament.</p><p>Unfortunately, Los Ba&#241;os' championship run ended with a 10-5 loss to Atwater.</p><p>"I'm sorry to see it come to an end," manager and coach Theron Westrope said. "I've watched these kids compete in Little League for six years and have admired their talent.</p><p>"I'm disappointed that the ride couldn't last longer."</p><p>Westrope said Atwater was the better hitting and defensive team. </p><p>"We fell behind in the first inning on a couple of misplays, but we never quit," he said.</p><p>Los Ba&#241;os battled back to take a 5-4 lead after four innings, but Atwater's offense didn't let up.</p><p>"Even though we were down five runs in the last inning, our kids didn't give away any at-bats," Westrope said. "They scratched and clawed until it was over.</p><p>"We've got a couple of kids who have a chance to receive educations through baseball, and I'll enjoy being a witness to that.</p><p>"Kenneth (Remulla) was our outstanding player. His defense was stout and he drove in three runs on a solo homer and a two-run single. He keeps his focus in every situation."</p><p>Los Ba&#241;os pounded its way into the semifinals with a 14-1 victory over Turlock National on July 3.</p><p>George Acosta hit a 350-foot two-run homer and Aidan Westrope nailed a grand slam in the second inning.</p><p>"Those two hits alone gave us a seven-run lead over Turlock and we just coasted from there," Westrope said.</p><p>Ten-year-old stars out</p><p>Los Ba&#241;os 10-year-old American All-Star team couldn't stave off elimination in the All-Star tournament on July 3, falling 6-2 to Chowchilla.</p><p>"It was a good game up until the fourth inning," manager and coach Rodd Welch said.</p><p>Welch ran into trouble in the fourth when he had to yank his starting pitcher because of the league's pitch count rule.</p><p>Chowchilla was able to break through against Los Ba&#241;os bullpen.</p><p>A miscommunication about the game's start time didn't help either, according to Welch.</p><p>"We were out at the field four hours before the game started," he said. "The kids were tired and it showed.</p><p>"They were burnt out and since we were out of town, we couldn't leave," Welch said.</p><p>Overall, Welch said he was happy with the team's play throughout the tournament. After winning their first game, and losing a "nail bitter" in the second, the third game was just as close and just as tough to walk away from.</p><p>"We should have advanced. We should have beat those teams," Welch said. "Both of the games we lost could have went either way. Unfortunately, we got the losing end."