Mission Hills Offers No Alibi for No Defense

In the end, there was no defense for the lack of defense. So none was offered.

“I hate to see us throw the game away and lose it that way, but there is no disappointment,” Corey Sanders said. “Fourth in the world is not bad at all.”

That was all the explanation offered by Sanders after his Mission Hills Senior League all-star baseball team was eliminated from the World Series at Gary, Ind., Saturday in a 6-1 loss to the South (Tennessee).

But even the manager had to wonder what a little defense might have done to alter the fate of his 14- and 15-year-old all-stars.

In four games at the World Series, Mission Hills allowed 12 runs--all unearned. The team committed 11 errors in its two losses.

The final game against the South typified Mission Hills’ defensive problems at the World Series. Ahead, 1-0, in the sixth inning, the West regional champions committed six errors over the final two innings.

“The kids worked hard, but they did have a tough time out there,” Sanders said.

Mission Hills’ postseason record wound up at 20-5 with the loss to the South. Pitcher Frank Serna, who tossed a five-hitter in the final game, had an 11-1 record.

The Far East (Taiwan) won the World Series title with a 3-2 victory over Latin America Sunday. Latin America eliminated the South, 10-3, Saturday night.