Nederland, Texas starts off on right foot

Defeat Cambridge, Mass., 4-3
 

August 16, 2008 - Game action during the Babe Ruth World Series game between Cambridge, Mass. and Nederland, Texas.  Photo by Jeff Loughlin/The Patriot Ledger.

By ADAM RIGLIAN
The Patriot Ledger

QUINCY – Nederland (Texas) blew away the competition en route to the 2008 Babe Ruth World Series.
   That domination ended Saturday night, though their winning ways did not, besting Cambridge, Mass., 4-3, in a grinding come-from-behind victory.
   “The truth is any win in the first game sets a good tone,” said Nederland coach Steven Pitts.
   Nederland shortstop and leadoff Hunter Knox opened up the scoring in the first frame. He walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch and stole third and was quickly knocked in on a sacrifice fly by second basemen Stephen Schlett.
   Cambridge responded in the top of the second when first basemen Tommy Lehane was knocked in by third basemen Danny Camara.
   Cambridge’s bats came alive in the fourth inning, when trailing 2-1, Lehane and right fielder Cyrus Hamer scored, the latter run driven in by Samir Eid gave them a 3-2 lead.
    It wasn’t enough for Cambridge, who again struggled with the one-two punch of Knox and Schlett. Knox opened the inning with a blast over the left fielders head which he legged for a triple. Schlett went the opposite way, driving a double over the right fielder’s head to score Knox. Schlett scored the go-ahead run on a Trent Fontenot single.
   Kohl Lasell earned the victory in a relief effort.
   “I think we showed some rust, but we also showed a great deal of determination,” Pitts said. “We didn’t hit as well as we’ve been hitting, and I’m looking for the bats to come alive.”
    “I think that we belong here, I think are kids played against a team that went right through the districts, states and the regionals and we’re right in it the whole time,” Cambridge coach Marco Giampa said.
   Nederland will play Skagit Valley, Wash. at noon and Cambridge will take on Youngstown, Ohio at 5:30 on Sunday at Adams Field.

 
August 16, 2008 - Trent Fontenot pitches for Nederland, Texas in a game against Cambridge, Mass at the Babe Ruth World Series.  Photo by Jeff Loughlin/The Patriot Ledger.