SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) _ The bright lights, big crowds and
media hype of the Little League World Series can get to a
12-year-old baseball player sometimes. So coaches and parents look
for distractions.
Some get away from baseball entirely. The kids from Venezuela
went to the mall. The Phoenix team bagged practice Monday and
planned to picnic at a serene lake in the Poconos. Friends and
family members of players from Lake Charles, La., saw Amish farms
after the team's game early Sunday afternoon.
Staten Island, N.Y., manager Nick Doscher said he was taking his
players out to dinner Monday night, nearly 24 hours after the team
lost 1-0, their second straight one-run defeat.
``Just let them be kids a little bit. Get them away from
baseball,'' Doscher said outside the gates of the teams' housing
complex. His team is 0-2 and faces an uphill road to advance.
``The hard part is, they don't want this to end,'' he said.
Twelve-year-old Devin Dejardin struggled on the mound in his
first game Friday for Beaverton, Ore., before rebounding on Sunday
with a nice pitching performance in a 9-1 win. His manager, Jeff
Keller, gave the team time off in between game days, and the move
seemed to have helped.
``He just let us be kids,'' Dejardin said after his win, an ice
pack strapped to his right shoulder. ``We goofed around. It kind of
relaxed us.''
They withstood more Little League pressure Monday night,
defeating Columbia, Mo. 2-1, to send Oregon to the next round.
Dejardin even drove in the winning run, singling home Austin Perry
in the top of the sixth.
Portsmouth also advanced with their win, while Russia was
eliminated after losing to Curacao, 8-0. Also Monday, Japan beat
Mexico 6-1, and Venezuela defeated Saipan 1-0 to finish a game that
was suspended on Saturday by rain.
Venezuela came back in the evening to beat Surrey, B.C., 2-1, in
their regularly-scheduled game
Getting to the series is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most
of these players.
``I can't believe I'm here,'' Curacao outfielder Mirangelo
Muller, 12, said through his mother, Desiree. Standing next to her
on a crowded stadium concourse, the five-foot-four Mirangelo tried
to look over the shoulders of other fans to watch the Japan-Mexico
game.
``This is his dream since he was seven years old,'' Desiree
Muller said. ``He wants to be in Williamsport.''
Players are often on a rigid schedule, especially at the start of
the series. There are TV interviews, picture-taking sessions,
equipment fittings, not to mention practice and time at the batting
cage.
The dorms offer a distraction. There's a video arcade and ping
pong table, and players talk and exchange pins with other kids from
around the world.
After a disappointing 6-1 loss Friday, the first day of the
tournament, Oregon manager Keller said he shifted the focus away
from baseball on Saturday after the team couldn't practise because
of the rain.
Sam Fontenot, whose children are friends with the Lake Charles
players, accompanied some families on the trip to see Amish farms _
something unique to Pennsylvania. There also was a nice meal out
with players.
``They wanted a little bit of time yesterday just to be a kid,''
Fontenot said.
Barquisimeto, Venezuela 3, Surrey, B.C. 2
Roberto Valera drove in three runs and earned a complete-game
victory, to lead Venezuela (2-0). Canada (0-2) closed to within a
run in the bottom of the sixth on a rundown play that scored Jeff
Bouchard, but Kristopher Robazza was then tagged between second and
third to end the game.
___
Portsmouth, N.H. 5, Lake Charles, La. 0
Jordan Bean tossed a two-hitter and Portsmouth scored five runs
in the fifth inning to break open a scoreless game. Bean struck out
12 and was helped by solid defence as the Southwest region champs
(2-1) clinched a berth in the next round.
Nick Zaunbreacher struck out seven for the South Lake Charles
league team (1-2), which was eliminated from the tournament.
Barquisimeto, Venezuela 1, Saipan 0, 8 innings, comp. of suspended
game
Roberto Valera's RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the
eighth lifted Barquisimeto, Venezuela. It took eight minutes Monday
morning for the teams to finish a game that was suspended after
nearly three hours of play Saturday night because of rain. Harry
Nakamura struck out eight for Saipan (0-2).
___
Willemstad, Curacao 8, Moscow, Russia 0
Dienston Manuela fired a two-hitter and struck out 12 and
Alexander Rodriguez had three hits for Curacao (1-1). Russia (0-3)
was eliminated from the tournament.
___
Kawaguchi City, Japan 6, Matamoros, Mexico 1
Japan (2-0) hit three homers in the third inning, including a
solo shot by pitcher Seigo Yada. Yada fired a four-hitter, striking
out 12. Jose Segovina homered in the bottom of the first for Mexico
(2-1).
___
Beaverton, Ore. 2, Columbia, Mo. 1
Devin Dejardin singled home the game-winning run and Beaverton,
Ore., benefited from timely double plays to beat Columbia, Mo and
advance to the next round.
After Miguel Rivera doubled off the right-field wall with one out
in the top of the sixth, pinch-runner Austin Perry advanced to third
on a passed ball. Dejardin followed with an RBI single to centre for
Beaverton's Murrayhill league team (2-1), the Northwest bracket
winner.
