RiverDogs will face stiff opposition in Ohio

NEWARK, Ohio — If results of the recent regional tournaments are any indication, the 2007 Babe Ruth 16-18-year-old World Series is going to be one wild event full of plenty of twists and turns.

And that's only judging one half of the bracket.

The Columbia Basin RiverDogs, Pacific Northwest Regional champions, come into the World Series at Newark's Don Edwards Park with a 44-12 record. But they'll be facing opposing talent unlike any they've seen thus far.

The RiverDogs open their eighth World Series in manager Randy Boruff's 13-year tenure on Friday, taking on Muskingum Valley, Ohio, at 2 p.m. Pacific time.

The World Series is a 10-team event, with squads split into a pair of five-team brackets. The first four days of action will consist of a round robin, with the top three teams from each bracket advancing to single-elimination play next Wednesday, Aug. 15.

Columbia Basin is in the American Division. Along with Muskingum Valley, the bracket is filled out by Stamford, Ct.; Denham Springs, La.; and San Gabriel Valley, Calif.

The National Division is comprised of the Licking County Athletics, the host squad; Iron Area, N.J.; Beechmont, Ky.; Oviedo, Fla.; and Heartland East, Iowa.

The RiverDogs continue pool play on Saturday against Stamford at 8 a.m. Pacific. They'll face Denham Springs on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and San Gabriel Valley on Monday at 8 a.m.

Below are capsule previews of Columbia Basin's four American Division foes:

Muskingum Valley

The World Series co-hosts, Muskingum Valley automatically qualified for this year's event. No record was available for the team at press time, but it's comprised of 18 high school stars and recent high school graduates throughout central Ohio.

Ben Matheney is Muskingum's head coach, assisted by Dan Matheney and Todd Whiteman.

Muskingum's roster is comprised of Alex Cultice, Cory Swope, Nathan Van Meter, Tyler Moore, Corey Brydon, Billy Smith, Kyle Jones, Caleb Bennett, Korrd Dixon, Tyler Hardcastle, Jimmy Hartmeyer, Steve Malenda, Chris Caldwell, Shayne Miller, Clay McFadden, Matt Vallee, Jordan Ayres and Timmy Harvey.

Stamford

Needing two victories in the championship round of the New England Regional, the odds looked awfully long for Stamford to reach the World Series, especially after it fell behind 6-0 in its opener with Cranston, R.I.

But Stamford rallied to win game one 8-7, then took game two and the World Series berth with a 3-1 victory in game two. Stamford has a long history of success, sending 39 squads to the World Series since 1951.

Basin may have to deal with Stamford's P.J. Fabricatore, who got the win in game two by pitching a complete-game two-hitter. Fabricatore has been clocked at 85-90 miles per hour. Stamford has a capable bullpen with Josh Castillo, Wills Connell and Joe Iglesias.

Stamford also has a balanced offensive attack featuring Anas Koummal, Mike Sciarretta, Ariel Artetga, Tyler Collins and Brandon Romaniello.

Stamford's manager is Jeff Farrell.

Denham Springs

The Southwest Regional champions, Louisiana's Parks and Recreation of Denham Springs, or PARDS, qualified for the World Series with a 5-2 victory over Wharton, Texas, in its regional title game.

PARDS is also familiar with playing from behind, having to dig out of a 2-0 hole in the first inning of the regional championship.

Jared Ashford looks to be the leader of the PARDS pitching staff, having allowed four hits and striking out 12 Wharton hitters.

Toddrick Stevenson also appears to be a dangerous player, having earned the regional Most Valuable Player award by winning two games. He also finished the tournament with a .300 batting average and two home runs, including one in the championship game.

San Gabriel Valley

The Pacific Southwest champions are another bunch of scrappers, having earned the World Series berth by scoring two runs in its last at-bat to defeat Arroyo Seco 4-3 in the finale of the regional tournament.

San Gabriel also had to knock off its archrivals from Arroyo Seco in the semifinals, winning 5-3. San Gabriel used clutch hitting in both games, going 8 for 18 with runners in scoring position. The team also played error-free defense in those two wins.

San Gabriel has several stars, beginning with San Gabriel Valley Tribune Player of the Year Maverick Olivares, who will be playing collegiately next year at California-Irvine.

San Gabriel's pitching staff is led by Noe Ramirez and Micah Dunham. Offensive leaders figure to include Antonio Andrade and regional MVP Kris Kauppila. Corwin Kim is a solid defensive player, recording two outfield assists in the championship game alone.