November 3, 2006
"We’re very happy about both the level of play we’re seeing and also the fan and parent support we’ve gotten today," said David Perkins, USA Baseball’s Director of Marketing and Licensing said. "Everything these kids [14 and under] are experiencing at this event is as good as it gets. Just look at the fields, the quality of the umpiring and even the little things like using the batting cages and the bullpen mounds. A lot of these kids have never experienced that before and are getting to use these things for the first time."
Play will resume Saturday morning with 11 more games scheduled. Here’s a closer look at Friday’s action.
8 A.M. Session
Starmaker Gold 8, Salt Lake City South 3
Lucas Long, 12, paced the victors with three hits and a pair of RBIs. The San Francisco resident had singles in each of his first three at-bats before walking in his final plate appearance. Long also scored a run. Long may live in northern California but he’s a big Yankee fan thanks to his dad, who is originally from New York.
"My dad raised me as a Yankee fan and Derek Jeter is my idol," said Long, a converted catcher who now plays middle infield. "I just love Jeter’s attitude. He produces and thrives in clutch situations. I was watching clips of him last night on my dad’s computer. I just try to be like him.
"I’m just trying not to think about anything too much today. I don’t think about the situation like who’s watching the game and who are we playing. I just want to do stuff to help my team win. I really wanted to come out strong because I had some butterflies coming in."
NorCal 12, Utah County 1
Matthew Taylor admits that he’s a little quiet most of the time. He doesn’t have to be the rah-rah type, though, because his performance spoke volumes Friday morning. The 13-year-old from Corona, CA had a double and three RBIs while scattering three hits and allowing only one run in five innings on the mound.
"I talk once in a while when I get to know the other kids," said Taylor, who proudly claims the Angels as his favorite team and Chone Figgins as his favorite player. "I like the pressure, though, this is fun. And it’s a good experience."
Taylor also plays first base and center field and was counting on playing one or both of those positions for NorCal before the weekend is over. He said he’d also be ready to pitch again on Sunday if needed.
Another highlight of NorCal’s victory was a third-inning shot by Joe Armstrong. The right fielder smoked a ball deep to left that landed on the warning track and bounced off the fence just below the 340-foot sign. He ended up on third base with a two-run triple.
NW Diamondsports White 8, ASBA Pride 2
The Oregon-based victors received a solid effort on the mound as three pitchers combined to limit the Phoenix-based Pride to a pair of hits. Zack Abbruzza, Conner Perry and Scott Hamilton combined to allow only one unearned run and didn’t allow a hit until there were two outs in the fifth inning. They combined to strikeout five and walk three.
Jordan Richartz paced the offense with a single, a triple and three RBIs.
"Primarily with my kids, coming from the northwest, preparation is an important aspect of the game," said Diamondsports coach Jose Cepeda, whose uncle is Hall-of-Famer Orlando Cepeda. "We don’t play as many games as these kids down here so it’s important that we are prepared to play. And Jordan had a couple of big hits for us today but we also got a great effort from our three pitchers."
11 A.M. Session
Utah County 5, ASBA Pride 3
Utah rebounded from a morning loss behind the stellar performance of its battery. Catcher Seth Rhineer was a standout, collecting four hits, two of which were doubles, an RBI and a run scored. Pitcher Matt Nelson had three hits and scored twice while pitching a complete game. He scattered eight hits, fanned five and walked only two.
"I was a little nervous after the first loss," said Rhineer, 13, a Provo resident who went 0-for-4 in the opener. "We only had 20 minutes in between games, though. So we did some more hitting during warm-ups and got more serious. And Matt did very well. He was focused and I helped him with that, talking to him in between innings.
"Now we have to think about playing tomorrow. We can’t screw around too much. I felt more comfortable this afternoon, though, and was able to put this morning out of my head."
NW Diamondsports White 8, Arizona Dodgers 6
Cepeda’s team improved to 2-0 and has outscored the opposition 16-8 heading into Saturday’s action. NWDSW rallied from a 6-3 deficit, scoring two sixth-inning runs to take the lead. They added an insurance run in the seventh before retiring the side in order in the bottom half of the inning to remain undefeated.
Third baseman Matt Mendenhall, a 13-year-old resident of Kennewick, WA, paced the offense with a pair of hits and two runs scored. He said getting the jitters out of the way in the morning opener was beneficial in the afternoon.
"At first I was nervous," Mendenhall said. "But after that first game I got used to it. I thought the competition was going to be hard and it is. We were down at first in this game and we had to come back.
"We just have to keep playing hard. We have to focus on our defense and not commit any errors. And our pitching is still fine."
Team Arizona 5, NW Diamondsports Gray 0
The victors used a trio of pitchers to post the first shutout of the day. Nathaniel Causey, Aaron Bummer and Zach Stierstorfer combined to scatter five hits and strike out seven while allowing four walks. Center fielder Tyler Krause, who was among the standouts in the regional qualifiers, was 1-for-3 in the opener and said the fact that he and his teammates live locally, is a plus.
"It’s very cool and makes things much easier," said Krause, who lives about 40 minutes from Peoria. "We don’t have to travel, don’t have to worry about packing any of our gear, anything like that."
Krause also plays on a 16-year-old team and has played on the regulation fields, such as the ones being used this weekend, before so he doesn’t seem as awed as some of the other players.
"I’m used to the fields and the pitching," Krause said. "The pitching here so far has been medium, bad and good."
Beaverton Bambinos 12, Idaho 4
The Bambinos broke open a close game with a six-run fifth inning. Will Taylor collected one of Beaverton’s five hits in the inning and had three hits in the game. The 13-year-old Beaverton, Ore. resident said he and his teammates could sense the big inning coming.
"We started getting the bats hot," he said. "The pitcher was just getting tired probably but we finally started to catch fire. You can feel it sometimes. Sometimes you just get that feeling and you have to go up there thinking you’re going to get a hit.
"We just have to stay calm and not get too excited. Major League batters hit .333 so you know that sometimes you’re going to fail. You still have to have confidence, though. And I’ve played on fields this size before so I’m used to it."
Taylor’s favorite teams are the A’s and the Giants but like Starmaker’s Long, he follows Derek Jeter.
"I always love his technique and his attitude," Taylor said. "He’s always up and positive and he’s pretty good, too."
2 P.M. Session
Arizona Dodgers 16, Salt Lake City South 0
The Dodgers rebounded from their opening loss behind a dominating effort from starter Jared Hunemuller. The 13-year-old Phoenix resident pitched five innings and allowed only one hit, keeping the Salt Lake hitters off balance with a surprising curveball. Though he walked five, Salt Lake couldn’t manage to push across a run.
Hunemuller, who also had two hits and three RBIs, said that former Major Leaguer Chuck Crim taught him the curveball a few weeks back.
"It took me an inning or two," Hunemuller said in regards to when he realized Salt lake wasn’t going to touch the curve. "I just started using it a couple of weeks ago. And the way I learned to throw it, it’s not going to kill my arm. I’m still working on it but I threw it pretty well today. I’ll either throw it when I’m ahead in the count or at the very beginning."
Salt Lake is winless and will play in the loser’s bracket on Saturday.
Starmaker Gold 5, Beaverton Bambinos 2
Ryan Parker, a 13-year-old from San Mateo, CA, was a difference maker in Starmaker’s nightcap victory, allowing only one earned run over 4 2/3 innings. He walked two, both in the fifth, scattered four hits and fanned a pair before exiting.
"This was fun," Parker said. "I wasn’t really nervous because I was just out there having fun. It’s hard to say what I was thinking about on the mound, though. My pitching coach tells me not to think out there, though, because when you start to think, that’s when you throw balls.
"I walked those two guys and that was it. But I really thought I was going to get the last guy out. I’ll definitely be ready to pitch Sunday, though. My arm is fine, doesn’t hurt at all."
Parker, a southpaw, also plays first base and the outfield and will likely see action at one or both of those positions Saturday.
NorCal 10, NW Diamondsports Gray 4
Third baseman Mitchell Kranson had three hits to pace the NorCal attack. The 12-year-old from Danville, CA admits, however, that he wasn’t pleased with his effort at the plate.
"They weren’t the best hits I’ve ever had," Kranson said. "I’ve had better ones. But I was seeing the ball pretty well. I wasn’t nervous, though. I’ve played on some fields pretty close to this one so that didn’t bother me."
Team Arizona 11, Idaho 4
Cole Gleason had a pair of hits and a pair of RBIs as team Arizona followed up its shutout victory in the opener. The 13-year-old Mesa, AZ resident says his team is set for whatever Saturday brings, certain that they’ll earn a berth in Sunday’s medal round.
"We just have to come out and swing the bats, throw strikes and play good defense the way we played this afternoon," Gleason said. "We didn’t play the best game of our lives in the first game but it was relief because it showed that we could hang with these guys."
Gleason said that he’s a big David Wright fan and he certainly followed in his idol’s footsteps against Idaho.
"I like being in that position where the pressure is on," Gleason said. "You have to like being in a position with pressure if you’re going to be a good baseball player."
Kevin T. Czerwinski is a reporter for MLB.com.
