Falmouth manager Matt Rogers said he didn’t know what to expect from his team before the 11- and 12-year-old Little League baseball state tournament that took place at Hill Street Field in Biddeford got started two weeks ago. Rogers said he was told his team and Saco were the teams to beat, but he didn’t know if there was any weight behind those predictions.
Well, the prognosticators were right, as Falmouth and Saco met in the tournament final, where Falmouth came out on top, 13-10, in a winner-takes-all game that was a fitting end to the tournament.
Falmouth opened the tournament with a 15-4 win over Auburn-Suburban, then beat Saco in the latter’s opener, 13-9. Neither team had a loss after that until Saco removed Falmouth’s undefeated status with a win last Thursday to force the deciding game.
Last Friday’s final was a classic, as Saco went ahead early, Falmouth responded with a 10-run inning that brought the mercy rule into the picture, only for Saco to rally and make it interesting before Falmouth closed out the win.
The game didn’t disappoint, and neither did the tournament nor its host.
The singular Biddeford Little League is only in its second year, and the hosting of the state tournament was its biggest undertaking yet.
The hosts passed that test with flying colors, hitting their duties out of the park. Biddeford Little League President Dan Michaud said his group of volunteers worked around the clock in the days leading up to the tournament to make sure the field and facilities at Hill Street were ready after days of rain made life difficult.
The field looked great, and the volunteers batted 1.000, from the grounds crew to parking lot attendants and snack shack workers.
Most importantly, the all-stars on the field put on a great show. While Falmouth and Saco were the lone two teams to play up until the very end, all six teams entertained the fans.
The players weren’t afraid to show frustration, but they also weren’t afraid to crack a smile. It was baseball at its purest, as the pre-teens played purely for the love of the game.
The coaches, who wanted to win just as much as the kids, made sure their players had fun and kept things in perspective. Rogers, whose team played at a championship level while also showing some guts, said he told his players that effort and character were what mattered the most as they trailed early in last Friday’s final.
A lasting image of the game came in the fourth inning, with Saco trailing 10-4. Ben Ham led off the top of the fourth with a home run that potentially could have swung momentum back in his team’s favor after Falmouth’s 10-run third. As he rounded the bases, he received high-fives from all four Falmouth infielders.
It didn’t matter that the opposition stood as the biggest obstacle in each team’s pursuit of a berth in the New England regional tournament. It showed sportsmanship that the Falmouth players could appreciate Ham’s bomb of a homer and the fact that Saco wasn’t going to quit.
Little League baseball reminds us of why many of us fell in love with the game in the first place. There are no earnings to be made except new friends and memories, and the outcome becomes secondary to the lessons learned.
On all fronts, the state tournament was a home run. Everybody was a winner: the organizers, volunteers, umpires, fans, and most importantly, the parents, coaches and players.
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Today’s editorial was written by Sports Writer Wil Kramlich on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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