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SPORTS
Mitch Stadium more than just a Little League field
Nathan Burgess connects with the ball during the West Virginia District 1 Little League Baseball All-Star Game, Wednesday, August 6, 2008, at Mitch Stadium.
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CEREDO-KENOVA -- The beauty of Mitch Stadium is the product of a community coming together for a project to benefit its children.
However, the efforts of volunteers of Ceredo-Kenova Little League are producing national dividends with supporters coming from near and far to participate in the Little League Baseball 9-10 Year-Old Tournament of State Champions.
"Our older boys were here two years ago, and as soon as we won state, a couple of them jumped up and said 'We're going back to Mitch Stadium'," SYA East Little League of Centreville, Va., vice president Preston Bach said. "It's a special place, even for local boys in Virginia."
Bach and nearly 75 other supporters of SYA East Little League traveled to Mitch Stadium in a convoy to take in the festivities and cheer on their beloved youngsters.
"It's like the president traveling when we (travel)," Stan Forbes said. "When we go somewhere, there are 15 black suburbans rolling down the highway."
"Don't forget the RV," Bach said.
While there were 75 supporters from Virginia in attendance, there was another crowd gathered at a country club watching the event live on MSPN (Mitch Stadium Production Network) and listening to it on WMUL 88.1-FM. MSPN reported 325 viewers were watching via live video at www.mitchstadium.com.
It is all part of the Little League atmosphere and everyone in attendance said no place has better captured that essence than the Ceredo-Kenova community.
"We've been all over the country with this, and even gone to Warner Robins (Ga.) to their new field for the state tournament," Columbus American (Ga.) Little League parent Shawn Applewhite said. "We haven't played on a better field. This is like a major league park for them."
While the national flavor was apparent, the local appeal is still what makes the entire Mitch Stadium experience great.
Prior to Wednesday evening's championship game, several local stars showcased their talents in the West Virginia District 1 East-West Game.
The West took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Lavalette's Kade Sebastian and League 3's Jack Brunetti scored on a pair of RBI groundouts by League 3's Wilson Ey and Ceredo-Kenova's Skylar Ratcliff. However, the West did not muster any more offense in the contest.
The East retaliated with a pair of runs in the third following a four-base throwing error on a grounder back to the mound by Kasey Libby, who motored around with Barboursville's Cole Tilley to score the game-tying runs.
The game ended in a 2-2 tie with only six hits combined between the teams as pitching took precedence.
Even though the game finished nearly 90 minutes prior to the start of the Tournament of State Champions finale, most of the participants stuck around and lined the fences on both sides to watch the best of the best slug it out in an exciting championship game.
Four home runs were hit in the championship, but it was the big swing off the bat of Bryce Delevie in the bottom of the sixth that gave Columbus American a 6-5 victory over SYA East.
The hit came after Virginia tied the game on its final out with a bases loaded, infield single in the top of the sixth by Daniel Lachance.
Drew Haywood, who picked up the win in relief, gave Georgia a 5-4 lead with a two-run home run with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning to lead Columbus American. The hit turned a 4-3 deficit into a 5-4 lead for the Georgia state champions.
Virginia took a 3-0 lead just three pitches into the game following a hit batter, a bunt with an error and a three-run home run by Christian Leckert.
Cason Greathouse followed with a two-run homer in the bottom of the first to cut the deficit to one, and the teams stayed that way until a rain delay halted play for 80 minutes.
The rain only increased the spirits of the crowd with the teams coming back to a roaring ovation at 9:19 p.m.
SYA East scored an unearned run following the delay to go ahead 4-2, but Georgia answered with a run of its own in the bottom of the fourth to pull back within one run and set up Haywood's home run and the exciting finish.
"This is just the way that these games are supposed to be," Applewhite said.
