ONE FOR THE BOOKS : Babbitt Reaches the Fences to Get Connie Mack Series Record

It wasn’t a total surprise that Troy Babbitt set the record for home runs in the Connie Mack World Series this week. He has hit his share of home runs. He had five last spring for Western High Schools, even though he was better known for his line drives.

But five home runs in four games?

It’s true. Babbitt set the tournament record with his performance for the Orange County Cardinals, who were eliminated Wednesday from the Connie Mack World Series in Farmington, N.M.

During the Connie Mack regular season, Babbitt, a second baseman and shortstop, hit one home run in 20 games. He added another two weeks ago to help the Cardinals win the Connie Mack Western Regionals at Chabot College in Hayward, Calif.

And then this week . . .

“This is unreal,” he said during his streak. “I’ve never done anything like this before. All I’m trying to do is hit the ball hard and it’s going over the fence.”

Babbitt’s power assault started in the first game Saturday, when he hit two home runs over the right-field fence, 330 feet away. He was five for five as the Cardinals defeated Madison Heights, Mich.

Babbitt couldn’t remember if he’d ever hit two home runs before in a game. “Maybe in Little League,” he said.

Cardinal assistant coach Dave Demarest said of the first game: “He just went off on a tear. Every ball he hit was a shot. The pitching is good here, but he’s a good hitter and he kept it up.”

Babbitt hit another home run in the Cardinals’ second tournament game Monday. He got No. 4 Tuesday in a loss to Cincinnati. On Wednesday, he hit a solo home run in the seventh, but the Cardinals lost that game to Cincinnati, too, and were eliminated.

He finished the series nine for 14 and then headed home to get ready for college. He’ll start Monday at Cypress College.