Their hometowns couldn?t be more different.
First there?s College Point, N.Y., a mere fly ball from Shea Stadium. Then, there?s Emmorton, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Bel Air, just off Route 24.
“There are certainly advantages to the fact that we?re sleeping in our own beds, eating mom?s cooking and we?ve played on these fields before,” Emmorton manager Mike Scheuerman said. “We all live within a three-mile radius, and we?re not widely recruited from all over county, let alone the state like [many of these teams] are.”
The two teams will meet in pool play today at 10 a.m. at Cal Sr.?s Yard ? the replica of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, complete with a warehouse in right field – at the Ripken Baseball Complex in Aberdeen.
“It?s certainly the most beautiful field we?ve played on,” Scheuerman said. “I?d be lying, if I didn?t say that it makes myself, as well as a bunch of 12-year olds, more nervous.”
Santiago acknowledged he is unfamiliar with the Emmorton team.
Emmorton picked up its first victory Sunday, a 3-2 win over Sikeston, Mo. Billy Dearth went five innings, allowing just one hit and one run, to earn the win. Emmorton scored three in the second inning, and allowed one run in each of the game?s final two frames, but Ryan Katelan closed it out in the sixth to earn the save. The win ? just the second ever by the tournament Cal Ripken World Series history ? occurred a day after Emmorton fell to Lexington, Ky., 11-0, in its opening game Saturday.
If Emmorton wins today it advances to the elimination round on Thursday afternoon, where it will play for a spot in Friday?s U.S. Championship. The U.S. champion will face the International champion Saturday at 5 p.m. at Cal Sr.?s Yard in the World Championship game, which will be televised by Versus.
Scheuerman said the team is likely to start pitcher T.J. Centi, who is battling some arm troubles, while New York threw its ace, Matthew Caposio, in Monday?s loss to Tampa, Fla., making him ineligible to pitch today. New York, which lost to Lexington, Ky., 15-1, on Sunday, cannot advance to the elimination round.
“We?ve got good pitching,” Santiago said. “Pitching is our strength, we just had a bad day [Sunday].”
