Thousand Oaks Team Loses Shot at Title : Little League: All-Stars fall to North Mission Viejo, 4-1, in effort to clinch second state championship in a row for 9- and 10-year-old bracket.

They hit well, pitched well and played as hard as they had throughout the state Little League championships. But on Sunday, that just wasn’t enough.

At game’s end in La Mirada, the Thousand Oaks All-Stars had fallen to North Mission Viejo and lost their bid to become state champions two years in a row.

“We did pretty good, but they just did better,” said pitcher Jonathan Contos.

All-Stars Coach Ed Kitchen said the North Mission Viejo team earned their 4-1 win.

“They played a great game,” he said. “It was one of those games where everything just went their way.”

Had the All-Stars won, they would have become the first team to win consecutive state titles in their age bracket, 9- and 10-year-olds.

First-baseman and catcher Drew Saberhagen scored the All-Stars’ only run in the second inning. He doubled and catcher Merrill Mullaly drove him in.

Chad Lundahl and Ryan Sandlin also had hits, but didn’t score.

“We got a couple of good hits, but we just left runners stranded when we did,” Drew said.

About 250 spectators, most from Thousand Oaks, watched the championship game at Behringer Park, said Margo Lundahl, Chad’s mother.

The players, who had been practicing two hours every day in preparation for the tournament, were upset by the loss, Kitchen said.

He hoped that in spite of their disappointment they would still be able to understand that reaching the championship game was a great accomplishment in itself.

Several players vowed that the loss wouldn’t mean the end of their Little League careers. Some said they hoped one day to win not only the state but the national title in the championship game in Williamsport, Pa.

“I’m upset, but there’s nothing to do about it,” said Jonathan Contos. “I’m coming back in two years to get to Williamsport.”