Starting in dramatic fashion

Cutline #1 (Reyes pitching): Junior River Dog pitcher Jorge Reyes strikes out Northern Fairfax pitcher Colin Michael in the third inning of the 16-year-old Babe Ruth World Series in Loudon County, Va. Reyes finished the game pitching six innings, allowing three runs on six hits and struck out five. Cutline #2 (Reyes preparation): Columbia Basin starting pitcher Jorge Reyes prepares to pitch against Northern Fairfax catcher Don Foor before the start of the bottom of the third inning. Cutline #3 (Out at plate): Columbia Basin catcher Brodie McCormi…

by Brad Redford Herald Sports Writer
| August 16, 2004 9:00 PM

Junior River Dogs hold off Northern Fairfax for first world series win

PURCELLVILLE, Va. — The win makes sense.

Every game played on Sunday was a come-from-behind victory by the home team, why would Northern Fairfax have it any other way. Playing as the home team against the Columbia Basin Junior River Dogs, Northern Fairfax scored two runs in the bottom of the seven inning, before Columbia Basin's Curran Redal pulled the plug to secure a 4-3 win in the 16-year-old Babe Ruth World Series at Loudon County, Va.

Not the dramatic Junior River Dog manager Chuck Hansen wanted, but he will take the victory.

"This was a good one for us to get because it is the first one," Hansen said. "I was a little concerned because they seemed to get more nervous toward the end than at the beginning."

Relaxing proved to be difficult as the crowd for Northern Fairfax got louder as their team scored three runs in the final two innings of work, knocking starting pitcher Jorge Reyes out of the game with the game-tying run on third base. Reyes said his focus was lost with the intensity of the opposing team.

Even Redal, who picked up the save in the game said the "adrenaline was crazy."

"When I got the first guy and struck him out, I sat behind the mound and thought about what I need to do, but the crowd was just crazy and I just got up and chucked the ball into the catcher's glove," Reyes said about his closing situation.

Reyes started the game calm and ready to go, throwing a no-hitter through four innings before giving up a lead-off single to Mike Messick to start the fifth inning. But Northern Fairfax caught on to the righty in the sixth to score two runs off Jon Holcomb's two-out single.

"The first couple of innings I started off throwing fastballs to see if they could hit me, and after that I started hearing rattle from the other dugout that the first pitch was a fastball, sit on it," Reyes said. "The first time through the line up they didn't see anything, but then towards the end they started to get

their timing."

Reyes finished with five strike outs, three earned runs allowed and gave up six hits in the win. Redal had two strike outs and battled the final three outs of the seventh inning with the game-tying run on third base to pick up his first save in the tournament.

Redal, the smallest guy on the team, finished the game batting 2-for-3 with an RBI double in the third and a run scored in the sixth inning.

"This is one of the games where small guys is just as good as the big guys and Curran has been \softline

in these spots before and you could see he jumped up there like a trooper,{\u8221\'94} Hansen said. {\u8220\'93}That is what \softline

we need to win this thing.{\u8221\'94}\par

\tab The Columbia Basin Junior River Dogs took the plate first in the game, only to drop the first \softline

three batters to end a quick inning. Reyes pounded Northern Fairfax in their first plate appearance and \softline

set the tone for both sides early in the match up.\par

\tab Edward Rodriguez broke the hitless mark with a lead off single in the second and advanced to \softline

second base on a steal and third on a passed ball, but was left with the Junior River Dogs not \softline

capitalizing on the opportunity.\par

\tab {\u8220\'93}We didn{\u8217\'92}t get clutch hits from guys like we should have,{\u8221\'94} Hansen said after Columbia Basin \softline

stranded four runners in scoring position. {\u8220\'93}We should have had seven or eight runs and we didn{\u8217\'92}t adjust \softline

in the batters box to make those clutch hits.{\u8221\'94}\ul0 \tab \par

\tab Derin Benson began the top of the third inning with a walk, but got out on Reyes{\u8217\'92} fielder{\u8217\'92}s \softline

choice. Reyes scored on Redal{\u8217\'92}s double to right-center field for the first Junior River Dog run of the \softline

game.\par

\tab Redal scored the second run in the sixth off Mike Miller{\u8217\'92}s triple past Northern Fairfax{\u8217\'92} Alex \softline

Wargo in the sixth and Mike Ratigan drove in Miller for Columbia Basin{\u8217\'92}s third run in the game. \softline

Northern Fairfax added two runs in the sixth with Holcomb{\u8217\'92}s two-run single to cut the lead to 3-2 \softline

heading into the final inning of play. \par

\tab Columbia Basin pinch-hitter Derek Elder hit a one-out single in the seventh and scored on Mike \softline

Messick{\u8217\'92}s throwing error for a 4-2 lead. Sean Purcell started the Northern Fairfax rally with an infield \softline

single that bounced off Reyes{\u8217\'92} glove and scored on Nathan Sonoskey{\u8217\'92}s triple to left-center field. With \softline

the tying run 90-feet away from home plate, Hansen brought in Redal to close out the game.\par

\tab {\u8220\'93}That pitch there, when I came and got him, he hung it and that is because he got tired, but \softline

Jorge pitched a heck of a game,{\u8221\'94} Hansen said. {\u8220\'93}Then I brought in Curran and he closed the door on \softline

them with the tying run at third.{\u8221\'94}\par

\tab Columbia Basin squares off against unbeaten Bakersfield, the Pacific Southwest regional \softline

champions, for the second game of its pool play tournament. Bakersfield pulled off a come-from-behind \softline

win over Nederland, Texas, trailing 5-3 before a three-run rally to move up to 2-0 in the American \softline

League division.\par

\tab {\u8220\'93}They haven{\u8217\'92}t shown me they are that good of a team, even though they have two wins,{\u8221\'94} \softline

Hansen said. {\u8220\'93}We have Ratigan going on the hill tomorrow and we will be fine.{\u8221\'94}\par

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Columbia Basin \ul0 \tab 0 0 1 0 0 2 1\ul0 \tab 4 6 1\par

\pard \fs24\fi-3600\li3600\tx720\tx1440\tx2160\tx2880\tx3600

Northern Fairfax\ul0 \tab 0 0 0 0 0 2 1\ul0 \tab 3 6 2\par

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