New Jersey claims championship Timely double plays key to victory

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BANGOR – Upper Deerfield, N.J., built an early lead in most bizarre fashion during Saturday’s Senior League World Series championship game at Mansfield Stadium – getting three bases-loaded walks in the first inning and having two batters hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the second.

Preserving that advantage required more traditional methods but Upper Deerfield Township persevered, using two late double plays and a seventh-inning homer by winning pitcher Darren Fischer to hold off Willemstad, Curacao, 10-8 and claim the 2008 Little League world title for 14- through 16-year-olds.

“Our goal from the start was just to get here,” said shortstop Gage Mick. “When we got here, we thought to ourselves that we had the potential to win this. That became our new goal, and achieving it is just great. It’s unbelievable.”

The win capped off a 23-0 run through postseason play for the new champs, including two narrow victories over Curacao during the SLWS.

“What a testament to these kids to go 23-0 in all-star caliber play,” said Upper Deerfield manager Jim Willis. “I don’t know what else you can say about these kids. I just try to put them in position to succeed, and they did.”

This game matched two teams with World Series experience. Most of the Upper Deerfield team played in the 2006 Junior League World Series in Taylor, Mich., while the Latin American champs from Curacao won the Little League World Series as 11- and 12-year-olds in 2004.

Upper Deerfield built a 9-3 lead through 21/2 innings, only to have Curacao close within 9-8 with two runs in the bottom of the third and three more in the fourth.

But Fischer, who relieved starter Chet Godfrey in that fourth inning, slowed Curacao’s building momentum – with some defensive help.

Curacao had runners on second and third with one out in the sixth when Willis opted to intentionally walk Kevin Mosequit and bring cleanup hitter Jonathan Schoop to the plate with the bases loaded.

The tactic worked to perfection. Schoop hit a 1-1 pitch right to Godfrey at shortstop, and Godfrey fed the ball to second baseman Ryan Griffith to start an inning-ending double play.

“I knew we had one out and I was telling Ryan the whole time that we needed this double play,” said Godfrey.

“Thankfully Darren kept the ball low and [Schoop] just hit a hard ground ball right to me. By the time I got it to Ryan the runner was only halfway to second and Ryan made a good throw to [first baseman Andrew Owens] to get the double play and get us out of the inning. That was real big right there.”

Fischer provided Upper Deerfield some added breathing room in the top of the seventh, blasting a 2-1 fastball to left for a leadoff homer to give his team a two-run cushion.

“I just wanted to get on base, and the pitcher threw a fastball inside,” said Fischer, who went 3-for-5 on the day. “I just put the bat on the ball and he was throwing hard enough so it flew. I’ll take it.”

Fischer walked Jurickson Profar to open the Curacao seventh before Godfrey was called on to return to the mound. Godfrey walked Leonora to put the tying run on base, but then got Curtney Doran to ground the ball to Mick – who moved to short when Godfrey came on to pitch – just behind second base. Mick tagged the bag and threw to Owens to complete Upper Deerfield’s second double play in as many innings.

“There was no way I was going to let that ball get by me,” said Mick, “because after that we just needed one more out.”

That came six pitches later, when Godfrey struck out Fauchedre Celestyne to set a celebration in motion.

“There’s nothing like this,” said Godfrey. “It’s just unbelievable.”

Upper Deerfield capitalized on six consecutive walks by Leonora after two were out in the first inning to take a 3-0 lead, and maintained a 5-2 edge with two runs in the top of the second when Owens and Joe Hamidy were hit by pitches with the bases loaded.

The U.S. East champs answered a single run by Curacao in the bottom of the second with four more runs in the third, a rally that included RBI singles by Godfrey and Jack Tyler and a suicide squeeze by Owens that allowed Barry Larro to score.

But Curacao battled back, scoring twice in the bottom of the third and drawing within 9-8 with three runs in the fourth.

Upper Deerfield was hurt early in the game by an error in each of the first four innings that led to three unearned runs.

“Early in the game we didn’t make the plays and their speed killed us,” said Willis. “We started fielding the ball better after the first few innings, and that was the difference in the game, that we made the plays when they was needed.”

eclark@bangordailynews.net

990-8045

U.S. EAST 10, LATIN AMERICA 8

Upper Deerfield, N.J. (6-0) Willemstad, Curacao (3-3)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Mick, ss-lf 4 2 2 0 Liberia, rf 3 0 0

Fischer, rf-p 5 3 3 1 Ignacio, cf-p-1b 0

Larro, cf 4 2 0 0 Mosequit, 2b 2 2 0

Godfrey, p-ss 3 2 1 1 Schoop, ss 4 2

Tyler, 3b 3 1 1 1 Profar, 3b 3 0 0

Owens, 1b 2 0 1 3 Leonora, p-1b 3 0 0

Fogg, lf-rf 1 0 0 0 Doran, lf 4 1 0

Hamidy, c 1 0 0 2 Rojer, 1b 0 0 0

Casper, c 1 0 0 0 Eugenia, p 1 0 1

Willis, lf 1 0 0 1 Celestyne, cf 3 1 0

Overstreet, 2b 3 0 1 0 Rondei, c 2 0

Griffith, 2b 0 0 0 0 Caria, pr 0 0 0

Totals 28 10 9 9 Totals 29 8 9 3

U.S. East 324 000 1 -10

Latin America 212 300 0 – 8

E-Mick, Fischer, Tyler, Overstreet; LOB-U.S. East 11, Latin America 6; 2B-Eugenia; HR-Fischer; DP-U.S. East 2, Latin America 1; S-Owens; Liberia; SB-Liberia, Mosequit

U.S. East IP H R ER BB SO

Godfrey (S) 4 6 6 3 1 2

Fischer (W) 3 3 2 2 4 1

Latin America IP H R ER BB SO

Leonora (L) 2 1 4 4 7 2

Eugenia 1 1/3 3 4 4 2 2

Ignacio 3 2/3 5 2 2 2 2

HBP-Owens, Hamidy (by Eugenia); WP-Fischer 2, Godfrey; BK-Fischer, Godfrey; PB-Casper; T-2:51; ATT-1,550