THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 3, 1995 TAG: 9508030214
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 15 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PATTI WALSH, COMPASS SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
FOR TWO CONSECUTIVE years the Little Creek American Palomino baseball team had been the bridesmaid, missing a trip to the Pony World Series by only a run.
But this year, Little Creek American will get its long-awaited trip down the aisle, thanks to some big swinging, strong pitching and some administrative juggling.
Rather than traveling to what is usually the next step - the East Zone tournament, the past qualifier for the World Series - Pony officials rezoned the league and sent sectional winners from Johnson City, Tenn., and Asheboro, N.C., to last weekend's South Region tournament in Suffolk.
After sweeping through the district and section tournaments, Little Creek rallied from a Saturday night loss to Johnson City for a 5-4 victory in Sunday's championship and a berth in the World Series that begins Tuesday in Greensboro.
``I think when we realized the game was over, people were in a state of shock,'' Little Creek coach Steve Siderias said. ``It's not like we blew the team out, considering the caliber of their players. Their smallest guy was 200 pounds!
``It's (the World Series) the biggest tournament in the country for this age group. You hear about all the pros who went to Pony World Series, and now we're going.''
In the championship game, heavy hitter Frank Thompson, a recent Granby graduate and a second-team selection to The Virginian-Pilot's All-Tidewater team, got Little Creek on the board with a two-run home run in the first inning, and pitcher Mike Alexander held his ground until the fourth, when Johnson City tied the score.
Little Creek moved ahead in the fifth when Jamie Booth and Jason Dixon scored on a pair of doubles by Glenn Davis and David Clark.
In the sixth, Little Creek pushed another run across when Thompson came up with the bases loaded after three consecutive walks. Thompson drove in Teddy Tignor with a hard, misplayed grounder to second.
But Johnson City, the 1993 Palomino World Series champion, came back in the top half of the seventh when reliever J.T. Hazelett gave up two unearned runs.
``It went down to the wire more or less,'' Siderias said. ``But the last two years of frustration are over.''
Actually, Little Creek's shortcomings during the last two seasons also have meant a championship drought for South Hampton Roads. The last area team to go to the Palomino World Series was back in 1981 when Lynnhaven brought home the crown.
The return trip couldn't come any sooner for Little Creek. For many who have played together for the last three years, it's their last chance at a Pony World Series before starting their college careers.
While Maury's Aaron Ambrose, a second-team All-Tidewater selection, still has one more year in the Eastern District, the league is losing Thompson's big bat to Longwood and All-Tidewater first-teamer Jason Dixon to Norfolk State. Fellow Eastern District players Dave Lambert of Lake Taylor and Hazelett are heading off to Christopher Newport University.
While many of the team members have played a role in the Little Creek Palomino team compiling a three-year 79-9 record, some of the players are new additions since the district tournament. Little Creek was allowed to add three players to its roster after the district championship games.
Former First Colonial star and Radford signee Jamie Booth joined the team, as did Kellam's Mike Alexander and Indian River's David Bailey.
Ironically, the addition of Booth brings an experienced World Series battery to Little Creek. Booth, deemed one of the ``best pitchers around'' by Siderias, and Princess Anne catcher Glenn Davis were on a World Series runner-up Pony team. Also on the roster are Bayside's Jeff Anderson, Dave and Matt Clark, and Cox's Ted Tignor and Tim Lavine.
``I think the reason they've been so successful is that most players play (American) Legion and Palomino,'' said Siderias, who works with the Naval Special Warfare group. ``With the amount of games they've played, they've finally peaked. It's really bringing them up. We've actually adapted our schedule so the kids could play both Legion and Palomino. I think it's a real plus.
``We've also worked well with high school coaches. It not only helps our team - the kids are getting so many more at-bats and tripling their playing time - but in time, it's going to help out their high school and college teams. It's also keeping kids off the streets and keeping them occupied. You can do it, if you do it smartly.'' by CNB