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Sports Editor August 2006 may be mostly remembered by Monticellonians as the year Babe Ruth came to town. Well not exactly the Big Bambino, Babe Ruth himself, but the Babe Ruth League World Series. Monticello got the invitation to host the 2006 Babe Ruth League World Series some time ago and prepared well for it. With the invasion and arrival of 12 qualified teams including a host team of Monticello and each respective teams’ fans, the city of Monticello were to gain much needed income from the event. Teams venture from far and wide of the United States. Many who attended the event got to watch teams from Washington, Texas, Minnesota, New York, Georgia, Ohio, Maine and Arkansas battle it out in the week long affair. The four semi-local Arkansas teams included host Monticello, Union County, Fort Smith, and a hot Pine Bluff team. In many minds, the favorite to win the tournament if one had to choose was the North Columbus, Ga., team who almost is always a certain powerhouse in youth baseball. Columbus also had a 13-year-old team in the Little League World Series in which they won the championship game over the Asian team from Kawaguchi City, Japan 2-1. Getting back to the older kids, the tournament had a slow start after a much-needed but unwanted rainfall that lasted two days. After playing around the weather and making up games by playing them on the University of Arkansas at Monticello campus and in nearby city Warren, many people saw much value in a team from Syracuse, N.Y. When you can post victories by outscoring four opponents 55-9 including one game score versus a Texas team that was 21-8, you are defiantly going to turn some heads. The team, managed by a 23-year-old pitcher from Ithaca College named John Dowling, routed Texas by scoring 13 runs in the first inning. They started their tear by shutting out Minnesota 8-0, then Texas, followed by two Arkansas teams, Fort Smith 12-1 and a late-night shut out of Monticello 14-0. Dowling, a social studies education major at Syracuse University, was only an assistant for a city team that won the state tournament. After the state tournament, the All-star team was composed and he became the head coach or the manager of the All-star team. As the team began their tour through state and regional tournaments, they eventually proved eligible for the BRLWS with an undefeated record. As the games were played and the days passed, the next step for New York and outfielder for the team P.J. Niedzwiecki, was the same Texas team that they killed earlier in the tournament. Niedzwiecki hit a grand slam in the previous win, but now had to power up against them again. With two scoreless innings played, it was in the third inning when Texas broke the silence after a few singles and some wild pitches by scoring four runs. In the bottom, New York answered softly by posting one run for themselves. Texas later went on to score a run in the fourth and the sixth innings. Host Syracuse added two runs in the bottom half of the sixth but was not enough and lost to Texas, 6-4. After the North Columbus, Ga., team was upset by the No. 3 seed team, Newark, Ohio, the finals were a lock. For the first time ever, two No. 3 seeded teams fought and earned rights to play in the championship game against each other. Ohio hit the board first by scoring two runs in the bottom of the second inning. Texas answered in the top half of the third inning by running in three runs. OH began heating up the bats and really took a lead by scoring four runs in each the fourth and fifth innings. With a score of 10-3 in favor of Ohio, Texas felt a little pressure heading up to the plate in the sixth inning. The pressure showed to help them post a six-run inning to narrow the Ohio lead to one. However, Ohio scored two runs of their own in the sixth and allowed Texas to bring one run in atop the seventh inning. With the 12-10 win, Ohio took the 2006 Babe Ruth League World Series Championship. The most outstanding player of the tournament was
Newark first baseman Rob Howell.
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