Little League

Fabulous 49’ers

Surging South bests North in 49th annual Delaware Valley Little Fellows League All-Star game

By RICHARD A. ROSS

NARROWSBURG, NY — My, how the years fly by. Next summer, the Delaware Valley Little Fellows League (DVLFL) will celebrate its 50th birthday. But for all that has changed in the past half century, the appeal of youngsters playing baseball has a timeless allure.

A summer day, devoted fans, the wafting aroma of hot dogs, the familiar sounds of the crack of the bat, the cheering crowd and the umpire’s barking of balls and strikes provided a captivating mix of sights and sounds on June 29. The 49th annual All-Star game drew avid fans, who forsook the final game between the Yankees and the Mets in the Subway interleague series, for something with far more resonance and local appeal.

The riveting spectacle unfolded as the South’s All-Star team, comprised of the top players from the league champion Cochecton Center Giants, second place Narrowsburg Dodgers and third place Narrowsburg Braves, brought their mighty bats and premiere pitching to bear against the North’s All-Star team comprised of standouts from the Damascus, PA Cardinals and Mets and the Cochecton Phillies.

Intermittent rain didn’t dampen the spirits of the players or fans. Better yet, great fun and fine sportsmanship prevailed as no heads hung low, even in the face of strike outs, errors or the North’s one-sided loss to the defending champ Southern Stars by the score of 20-4.

After the introduction of the players by outgoing DVLFL President Peter Pierce and the salute to the flag, held proudly by eventual game MVP’s Mike Gombita from the North’s Cardinals and Patrick Pierce from the mighty Giants of the South, the game got underway.

The pair of flag-bearing standouts would start the game on the mound for their respective teams, but coaches rotated players every two innings so by game’s end everyone had gotten into the fun-filled fray.

Pierce overcame some early control issues to fan four batters in his two innings of work. He abetted his team’s effort at the plate as well, as he followed a game-opening double by Braves star Owen Andrews with a booming homer to right field. Gombita worked around a subsequent bases-loaded jam to limit the damage to two runs. But things would unravel further for the Northerners in a long second inning.

Pierce got the North out in order in the second. Then, a walk to Andrews and a RBI single by Karl Knecht got the Southerners souped up. John Chudick further heated the pot with his three-run blast and Cody Franskevicz’s single made it boil over with two more runs as the Southies batted around.

When the dust cleared (not the rain, though), the score stood at 8-0.

The North got three runs back in the third inning as Knecht, who had come on in relief of Pierce, walked the bases loaded. Gombita, Devon Ott and Kellan Keesler batted in runs and the game looked like it might become a more even affair.

But the Southerners, who won last year’s game, following a 2006 win by the North, looked to keep up their dominance of recent history by adding more runs to the ledger. Five runs, to be exact, would become the third-inning tally. Credit Braves’ Jesse Yatwa with two of those runs, Geoffrey Sheppard with working out a bases-loaded walk against reliever Nemo Jones from the Phillies and a two-run single by Giant Gavin Owen. The South’s 13-3 lead continued to burgeon as the game progressed.

The South piled on five more runs in the fourth, courtesy of RBI from back-to-back doubles from Sean Mullins and Owen. A RBI single by Brendon Clarke made it 18-3.

The South’s final two runs came from the team’s third homer of the day, a two-run blast by Brave Fran Wyss.

The North got one run off reliever Kyle Manzi in the top of the seventh as Devon Ott plated a run on an E-6.

Following the game, trophies were presented to the runner-up Northerners and the champions from the South. Gombita and Pierce posed for photos with their MVP trophies and the Giants took a team picture with their coaches.

It was the sixth time in the past seven years that the Giants brought home the gold, but the aging team will lose most of its superstars to the Teeners league and/or modified baseball. Pierce, who has served nobly as league president, will be stepping down as head coach of the Giants and as league president.

This year’s All-Stars from the North were: Mike Gombita, Kellan Keesler, Cory Muller, Devon Ott and Alec Santos from the Cardinals; Nick Adams, Tim Freda, Josiah Jones and Nemo Jones from the Phillies; and Bret Daley, Sean Highhouse, Luke Musetti and Roberta Williams from the Mets.

All Stars from the South included: Cody Franskevicz, Kyle Manzi, Gavin Owen, Mitchel Paciga, Patrick Pierce and Geoffrey Sheppard from the Giants; Owen Andrews, John Chudik, Jared Meola, Sean Mullins, Zach O’Connor and Jesse Yatwa from the Braves; and Brendon Clark, Will Holbert, Karl Knecht, JJ McGrath and Francis Wyss from the Dodgers.

Tryouts for the league’s traveling All-Star team were slated to be held on June 30.

Visit riverreportersports.com for an album of pictures from the All-Star game.