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Creekside off to fast start in NABF World Series at Cene Park
NABF World Series
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Locals off to fast start in NABF World Series at Cene Park
By ryan buck
Struthers
Creekside Fitness flexed its muscles on the opening day of pool play in the National Amateur Baseball Federation World Series Thursday at Cene Park.
The Youngstown Class B and Connie Mack State Tournament runners-up defeated the Houston Raiders, 4-2, in their first game of the day before an offensive barrage late in their second game gave them a 16-6 mercy-rule victory over the Sayo Grays of Brooklyn, N.Y.
“This is my first year over here,” said Creekside designated hitter Tyler Walters, who joined the team this summer from Saegertown, Pa. “These guys say 2-0 in the NABF is a big deal, so I’m going with it. I’m here to play and we’re here to win it.
“This is the last tournament we have together and we’re living it up right now.”
The first five hitters in Creekside’s powerful lineup accounted for 10 of the 16 runs in the second game, igniting the win with a five-run first inning and the locals never looked back.
Four and five hitters Dan Ferguson and Walters paced Creekside to a 5-0 lead after two innings.
The Grays scored twice in the top of the fifth when Edrick Rivera and Osvaldo Ovalle both walked and later scored.
Ferguson led off the bottom of the inning with a triple to left-center and Walters singled him home three pitches later.
“Honestly, it’s just see-ball-hit-ball,” said Ferguson, who led Class B in RBIs this season. “I had my weight back, patiently, and I just went with it.”
Walters came home on Zach Miller’s two-out single to give Creekside a 7-2 lead.
After the Grays made things interesting with four runs in the sixth at the expense of Creekside’s bullpen, the locals had enough.
Ferguson and Walters laced back-to-back singles scoring Steve Sada and Jared Wiesen.
“Ever since Game 1 until the last game of the season, the middle of the order, we’ve produced a lot of runs,” said Ferguson, a former standout at Mineral Ridge. “Today it was a big key, the four and five hitters bring them in because it’s 7-6 going into the bottom of the sixth, you’re going to need those guys on to score runs. A one-run game can change anything between a win or a loss.”
They batted around the order, tallied nine runs on five hits, and benefited from six walks and an error to force a 10-run mercy rule.
There will be sleep in another borough neighborhood, however, as the Brooklyn Bonnies overcame a seventh-inning rally from Class B champion Astro Falcons to win, 11-8, in 11 innings.
Astro took a one-run lead in the fourth inning with three runs before the Bonnies responded with four of their own in the fifth. They added two more in the top of the seventh. The Astros plated five runs and stranded runners on first and second to send the game to extra innings.