August 12, 2011

Bangor to welcome old, new faces to its 10th World Series

Workers install new screening on the grandstand Thursday.

A mix of old and new faces and leagues will descend upon Bangor for the city’s 10th Senior League Baseball World Series this weekend. Of the 10 leagues, two played in last year’s series, one played in the 2009 series, and three played in the 2007 series. Four leagues have never sent a team to the Queen City.

And, for the first time, a team from New Jersey will not be representing the U.S. East region.

Defending World Series champion Aruba South L.L., San Nicolas, Aruba, will be making its third consecutive trip to Bangor, the first time a region has been represented by the same league three years in a row. In making an unprecedented third consecutive trip, Aruba South is also trying to become the first league ever to repeat as World Series champ in a Bangor series.

Since the series moved to Bangor in 2002, the only defending champ to make it back to the championship game was Paraguana L.L., Falcon, Venezuela, in 2007. Paraguana lost the 2007 title game 9-0 to Cartersville L.L., Cartersville, Ga.

Palm Bay East L.L., Palm Bay, Fla., will be making its second consecutive trip to Bangor, as it successfully defended its U.S. Southeast Regional title on Tuesday. The returning players from last year’s team will hope to make up for winning only one game, as no other U.S. Southeast team had ever not won fewer than two games in a Bangor World Series. Last year, Palm Bay lost its opening day game against U.S. West representative Manhattan L.L., Manhattan Beach, Calif. 2-1 and was down only 4-3 to eventual champion Aruba South before giving up three runs in the seventh inning, losing 7-3.

For the third straight year, a team from Italy is representing the Europe-Middle East-Africa region. Friuli Venezia Giulia L.L., Friuli Venezia Giulia, is returning after ceding its national and regional title to Lazio L.L., Lazio, Italy, last year. In 2009, Friuli Venezia Giulia won the EMEA region’s first game in the Senior League Baseball World Series since Georgia YMCA, Tbilsi, Georgia, upset Activo 20-30 L.L., Santiago Veraguas, Panama, in 2005. Friuli Venezia Giulia’s 2009 win, over U.S. Central’s West Madison L.L., Madison, Wis., snapped EMEA’s 16-game losing streak.

Lazio won a game for itself last year as well, defeating Canada’s East Park L.L., Edmonton, Alberta, 13-6. It also played well against West University L.L., Houston, Texas, losing only 6-3 to the defending champs.

Maine District 3 champ Brewer/Orrington L.L., Brewer, practices Aug. 5 at Mansfield Stadium.

Hilo L.L., Hilo, Hawaii, is back for the third time in nine series. The league won the 2003 World Series and reached the semifinals in 2007. An alumnus from the 2007 team, Kolten Wong, was drafted in the first round of this year’s Major League Baseball amateur draft. Wong’s selection, the 22nd overall pick, was the highest for any Bangor World Series alumnus.

U.S. Southwest champ Rose Capital East L.L., Tyler, Texas, is seeking to do at least one game better than the 2007 team the league sent to Bangor. The 2007 team went undefeated at 3-0 in pool play, with one win against defending series champ Paraguana, but lost to eventual champion Cartersville.

Two teams that are hoping to make the most of a rare opportunity are Maine District 3 champ Brewer/Orrington L.L., Brewer, and U.S. East champ Easton/Home Run Baker L.L., Talbot County, Md.

In nine previous Maine District 3 tournaments to determine who would be the host team for the series, Bangor East/West L.L., Bangor, had won seven times. This year’s District 3 title was only Brewer/Orrington’s second, the other coming in 2007. The 2007 team lost all four of its pool play games. Last year’s Brewer/Orrington team forced Bangor East/West to the district tournament’s if necessary game and had the winning run only 90 feet away in the bottom of the seventh of a 9-9 game before Bangor East/West exploded for 11 runs in the eighth inning to win the title.

Brewer/Orrington needs no reminder what became of the Bangor East/West team. Bangor East/West went 3-1 in pool play in last year’s World Series, defeating defending champ West University 4-3 on a dramatic home run in the seventh to earn a semifinal berth. Bangor East/West then overcame a 3-2 deficit to Manhattan Beach in the semifinals, winning 9-3 after a three-run home run put the hometown boys ahead.

Aruba South led Bangor East/West only 3-1 in the championship before erupting for five runs in the seventh to put Bangor East/West away.

Before last year, no other Maine District 3 team had won more than a single game in a series.

As for Maryland’s Easton/Home Run Baker, it has to feel good being the first team to break New Jersey’s spell over the rest of the U.S. East. New Jersey teams were the only ones to represent the region since the series came to Bangor in 2002. Those nine previous New Jersey teams fared quite well, too. No New Jersey team had ever won fewer than two games in pool play. Five advanced to the semifinal round. And two – 2004’s Freehold Township L.L., Freehold Township, N.J., and 2008’s North Cumberland L.L., Upper Deerfield, N.J. – went on to win series titles.

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