Florida Trip Was Exciting Culmination Of A Winning Season—

Newtown Thunder’s Cal Ripken World Series Bid Falls Short

The Thunder, Newtown’s baseball team for 10-year-olds, has had a postseason to remember for a lifetime. It racked up a Connecticut State Championship and a New England Regional title with impressive come-from-behind wins. But when the Thunder rolled into Ocala, Fla., last week for the 2010 Cal Ripken World Series, its winning ways rumbled to a stop.

The team ran into disappointment early on Friday the 13th, giving up two runs in the first inning to a team from Scott County, Ky., and never hitting their stride in the oppressive Florida heat and humidity. They lost the opener 6-4.

After a day of rest, the Thunder was back at it on Sunday in a match-up with a team from Jupiter, Fla., that hit the ball extremely well. The Newtown boys fell behind 7-0 in the early innings, mounting some offense at the plate in the bottom of the fourth with three runs, behind the able batting of Adam Bergeron, Jason Hebner, and Ryan Kost. But the effort ultimately fell short, with Jupiter pulling away in the late going, winning the game 13-3.

The two losses put a lot of pressure on the Thunder. They had to post back-to-back wins on Monday and Tuesday to stay alive in the elimination tourney. They faced two tough and heat-hardened opponents: a Jacksonville Beach, Fla., team from the southeast, and a Northwest Bakersfield, Calif., team from the southwest.

Unfortunately, the Thunder was eliminated from championship contention on Monday, again having a hard time getting any momentum going at the plate, despite a first inning home run by Connor Barrett. Adam Bergeron and Ben Harrison contributed a double and a hit respectively, but it wasn’t enough. Newtown faced yet another team with hot bats. Jacksonville Beach pushed players around the diamond for five innings, tallying an 11-1 lead by the time the game was called under the tourney’s 10-run rule.

Newtown’s bats finally came alive in the Thunder’s fourth and final game in Ocala. The Northwest Bakersfield team was a tough opponent, posting two wins and a loss in previous tourney play.

Again, Connor Barrett initiated some first inning action on the base paths with a lead-off double. He ultimately scored on well placed groundouts by Lucas O’Brien and Jason Hebner. Bakersfield came back in the bottom of the first with some key hitting of their own, and by the second, the Thunder was down 3-1. Newtown looked like the comeback kids they have been all season with some impressive hitting and base running in the bottom of the second, including a three-run homer by Lucas O’Brien, giving the Thunder a 5-3 two-run lead — but not for long. Bakersfield countered with two more runs in the third, pulling head by a run at 6-5.

With the help of some sloppy defense by Bakersfield, Newtown was able to tie things up in the sixth. But in the bottom of the inning, the Bakersfield bats were finding their mark again, driving in two more runs to reach the final tally of 8-6.

Thunder manager Tom Harrison characterized the team as “a pretty tough group of kids,” and despite the losses in Florida, Newtown’s World Series bid marked the culmination of a remarkable season of achievement.

To earn a berth in the Cal Ripken World Series in Ocala, the Thunder had to dispense with some formidable opposition in the New England Regionals in Londonderry, N.H., in July. They won the regional title on July 29 by handily beating a team from Exeter, N.H., 15-8.

In addition to Tom Harrison, the team is coached by Chris O’Brien and Kevin Barrett. Team members are Ryan Kost, Jason Hebner, Colby Olson, Adam Bergeron, Owen McInerney, Ben Harrison, Nick Venezia, Lucas O’Brien, Will Huegi, Sam Grossano, Ben Dieckman, and Connor Barrett.

“It’s a great group of players — a great group of kids,” Harrison said. “It’s been a great summer.”