BY MIKE WHITE
Staff Writer
JACKSON — The Holbrook 12-year-old Little League All-Stars ran out of time in last week’s disappointing 6-5 setback against host Beachwood in the opening game of the District 18 Little League Tournament.
Trailing by five runs after three innings, Holbrook fought back to cut the deficit to one run in the sixth inning. The game ended with Jackson batting in the top of sixth with the tying and go-ahead runners on base.
“It was a great game,” Holbrook coach Rodney Carr said. “It was really an exciting game for both the kids and spectators. Of course the kids were disappointed by the outcome, but we still have a number of games left in the tournament. This team has always bounced back. We did it last year, and I suspect that we can do it again.”
Holbrook’s next game is at Manchester on the 29th.
Beachwood scored five runs in the third inning and added another in the fourth to build a lead. Jackson answered by scoring one in the fourth, three in the fifth and one more in the sixth.
“We just came up a little short,” Carr said. “But the positive side is that we were able to stage the comeback. We didn’t roll over. The kids kept their composure and we were able to chip away at Beachwood’s lead.”
Offensively, Holbrook displayed the ability to put the ball in play.
“We have some good hitters on this team,” Carr said. “We are going to score our runs. We had a number of youngsters come through in big spots in this game. A lot of these kids have been in tournaments like this before and are used to the competitive play.”
Dylan Amos paced Holbrook by going 3-for-4 with a run scored. Kevin Carr was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Matt Brewer had a pair of hits, while teammate Chris Rubessa was 2-for-3, including a solo home run in the fourth inning that put Holbrook on the board.
“That was a key run for us,” Carr said. “It kind of got us started. They had just scored five runs and we needed to answer. Chris did that for us by hitting that home run.”
Cory Iampaglia and Dan Falvo each singled in the sixth before Beachwood was able to squelch the threat.
Falvo and Brewer split time on the mound.
“Both guys did a solid job for us,” Carr said.
Defensively, Korey McGuiness had two assists at third base, while Robbie Titus had a pair of putouts in right field. T.J. Prohammer had a putout in the outfield. Carr cited the fine defensive work of Dan Engelena, Brandon Vega and Chris Russo.
“This team is looking forward to the next game,” Carr said. “They are a tough bunch. There is no quit in them.”