Harrowing game clinches state championship
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July 15, 2013 |
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They may only be 12 and 13 years old, but you
can bet that whenever these guys get together,
no matter how many years from now, talk will
inevitably turn to Sunday, July 14, 2013. The
day the Boundary County Yankees won the Idaho
U-13 Intermediate Little League Baseball Idaho
State Championship.
Tied at 1-1 in a three game, winner take all
series after the Yankees fell 9-7 in the second
game on Saturday, they and the North Boise All
Stars met again at 10 a.m. Sunday. It was winner
take all.
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Seth Bateman
on the mound during the final game of
the Idaho State U-13 Intermediate Little
League Championship series. |
It was a wild game, to say the least, one that
should go down in the annals of baseball
history, as both the Yankees and state runners
up the North Boise All-Stars gave everything
they had in a melee, decided in the end by a
single run.
The Yankees started slow, giving up one run in
the bottom of the first inning and then going
three and out in the top. The inauspicious start
gave fans no warning of the fireworks to come.
Yankee starting pitcher Anthony Bennett injured
his arm in the first, and wasn't able to take
the mound in the second.
North Boise pulled out to a 6-0 lead in the
second, as Yankee fill-in pitcher Seth Bateman,
the team's youngest player, struggled to settle
in and find his rhythm.
But the Yankees fired right back, exploding for
10 runs, with 10 batters taking the plate before
taking an out. In the second inning, the local
boys combined for nine singles, one walk and one
hit by pitch to take the lead.
But it wouldn't last.
The All Stars scored twice in the third, but the
Yankees answered with four more runs of their
own. Brady Bateman started off with a double,
followed by an RBI single by Trey Flint. Raul
Rodriguez reached on an error and Tyrone Larson
cleared the bases with a mighty double to right
center.
The Yankees stretched their lead further in the
fourth, holding North Boise scoreless, thanks to
a double play.
With the North Boise lead batter on first on a
single, Flint snagged a line drive and stepped
on first for the double play. Seth then made a
great play on a line drive smacked right at him
for the third out.
The Yankees tagged on two more runs in the
bottom of the fourth on four consecutive singles
by Brady Bateman, Flint, Jesse Dunham and
Rodriguez. With the bases loaded and one out,
Larson hit a high pop fly to third base. All
three umpires neglect to call the infield fly
rule, North Boise's third baseman drops the ball
and turns a double play to end the inning.
North Boise again went quietly in the fifth.
Kendall Stone made a great catch on a deep fly
ball to right field for the first out, Rodriguez
threw the next runner out from second, then
fielded a grounder to tag the third out at first
base.
Up 16-8, the Yankees were poised to end the game
on the ten run rule, with bases loaded and no
outs.
Kobe Norwood singled to left to start things
out, Pacen Pluid followed with a single and
Anthony Bennett reached first on an error by the
pitcher. Yankee lead batter Seth Bateman ripped
a deep line drive, but right at the All Star
left fielder. Norwood was tagged out at home on
what Yankee coach Cal Bateman called the best
throw he's seen at this level of play by North
Boise's Brett Rene. Brady Bateman ended the
inning with a fly ball to center field, ending
an inning that started out great without a run.
Then it got worse for the Yankees.
With Seth giving up a lead-off single to open
the sixth, he reached his pitching limit and
Rodriguez took over on the mound.
He did exactly what was asked of him, throwing
strikes, but he didn't get much help from his
teammates. After a few hits mixed in with a few
errors and some bad bounces, North Boise closed
the gap, and the Yankees went down quickly in
the bottom of the inning, 1, 2, 3, with their
lead cut to three runs, 16-13.
With the momentum on their side, North Boise put
up four more runs in top top of the seventh to
once again take the lead, 17-16. Kobe Norwood
stepped in to relive Rodriguez, and recorded the
final two outs to put the game in the Yankee's
hands.
Having put nearly everything they had into the
game by this point, no one would have blamed the
Yankees for having fought a valiant fight.
According to coach Cal Bateman, most of the team
was fighting back tears.
But showing the grit that saw them overcome all
season long to win the district championships
without a a loss, they each reached deep and and
pulled out a miracle.
Tyrone Larsonset the stage when he led off with
a line drive to center that nearly too the head
off the All Star's pitcher. After a strike out,
Pluid hit a ground ball to short, and the short
stop's throw to second went high and both
runners were safe.
Anthony Bennett hit a pop fly to center that was
caught, the second out. The game, and the
players' hopes, were all but over.
It was Brady's turn at bat, but coach called
time.
Throughout this season, Coach Bateman has been
reticent about being quoted talking about this
team, for fear his words might take a little bit
away from the men he insists deserve all the
credit; Raul Rodriguez, Anthony Bennett, Seth
Bateman, Kendall Stone, Brady Bateman, Kobe
Norwood, Trey Flint, Tyrone Larson, Jesse Dunham
and Pacen Pluid.
He and Coach Ted Flint, he said, "just went
along for the ride."
But Brady told his Mom.
"Dad told me that this situation is why we play
baseball," she related, "but regardless of what
happens here, I love you ... but since you're
here, you might as well get a hit."
After working a 2-2 count, Brady connected with
a double to left center just out of reach of the
North Boise Center fielder, Tyrone Larson
crossed home to tie, and Placen tore in from
second to score the winning run.
The Yankees fell in on themselves in
celebration, and Coach Bateman finally gave an
attributed quote, streaked with tears of his
own.
"You would have thought we lost the game with
all the crying that was going on," he said. It
was the neatest experience to watch these kids
celebrate. We were never supposed to be here,
but here we are, and we're going to the Western
Regionals in California to represent the State
of Idaho ... we just can't believe it."
Brady earned "Player of the Game" honors, going
5-6 in the State Championship game, scoring
three runs and with five RBIs.
Some of the Yankees and their parent came home
Sunday, others traveled on to Irvine for the
season finale, where the Boundary County Yankees
will face the winners of the California District
55 championships at 12:30 p.m. Friday, July 19.
The champions from Arizona, Oregon and Hawaii
are also battling this small town team from
North Idaho for the privilege of competing for
the title of U-13 Intermediate World Champions,
a series that begins July 30 in Livermore,
California.
A few days ago, after the Yankees won districts,
several Boundary County residents started asking
what they could do to keep the Yankee dream
alive, and local fundraisers have dotted the
local map.
This team has upped the ante on Sunday in
legendary fashion, and now people in every Idaho
town with a Little League team, and people from
around the world with ties to this great place
are asking the same question, "how can we
help?!"
It's easy.
Raise all you can, and contribute to the
Boundary County Little League Fund at any
Panhandle State Bank branch in North Idaho. For
those outside of the bank service area, call
1-888-275-3434 to make arrangements.
Your help and support is appreciated ... as they
make memories, and proud sports moment in state
history, possible. |
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Batting |
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
|
S. Bateman |
5 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
B. Bateman |
6 |
3 |
5 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
|
T. Flint |
5 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
|
J. Dunham |
5 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
R.
Rodriguez |
5 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
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T. Larson |
5 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
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K. Norwood |
3 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
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P. Pluid |
5 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
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A. Bennett |
3 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
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K. Stone |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
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Totals |
43 |
18 |
22 |
18 |
2 |
4 |
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Pitching |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
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A. Bennett |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
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S. Bateman |
4 |
10 |
8 |
6 |
3 |
2 |
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R.
Rodriguez |
1.1 |
6 |
8 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
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K. Norwood |
0.2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
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Totals |
7 |
18 |
17 |
14 |
6 |
4 |
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