Cypress Federal Bows Out
Things were looking good for the Cypress Federal League all-stars when they took a four-run lead against Greenville, N.C., after three innings in the final pool-play game at the Little League World Series Wednesday night.
This was, after all, a team that had been struggling at the plate for the last two weeks and was fighting to remain in the tournament. For the first time in six games, Cypress players looked relaxed and composed as they took the field in the top of the fourth inning.
So much for big leads.
Greenville hit three home runs in the next two innings and went on to eliminate Cypress, 6-4, in front of an announced crowd of 16,200 at Lamade Stadium.
Greenville earned a rematch with Toms River, N.J., in today’s U.S. championship game. Toms River, idle Wednesday, beat Greenville, 5-3, Tuesday. It also defeated Cypress, 4-2, on Monday, which made Wednesday’s game between Cypress (18-2, 1-2) and Greenville (16-2, 2-1) a must-win game because the two teams with the best record in pool play advance to the national final. Toms River won all three of its games.
Langley, Canada, will play Kashima, Japan, in today’s International division final at 1:30 p.m. The winner’s will play for the World Series championship Saturday.
“We’re playing all-stars and four runs is not enough against a team that hits the ball like the South does,” Cypress Manager Greg Novy said. “They started coming back and they stole the momentum from us.”
Cypress, which hit .141 in its three games here, managed only three hits Wednesday. And its usually reliable pitching staff, which had given up only nine runs in its last five games, finally caved in.
Cypress had to fight for its runs, taking advantage of four South errors to take a 4-0 lead.
But Greenville rallied in the fourth when Cypress pitcher Alex Alba grew tired. The big blow was a three-run, opposite-field home run by Greenville’s Richard Barnhill, who hit a hanging curve ball off the end of the bat just over the right-field wall.
Novy removed Alba in the fifth inning in favor of Zach Wesley, who had pitched only two innings in the team’s last eight games.
“Alex was getting tired,” Novy said. “He has thrown a lot of innings for us and we had Zach, who was fresh, and it seemed like a good idea to put him in.”
Wesley struck out the first batter he faced, shortstop Justin Hardee, but second baseman Brack Massey homered over the out-stretched glove of Cypress center fielder Pat Cassa for a 5-4 lead. Then Kevin Hodges hit a towering home run to right-center field, a drive estimated at 270 feet.
Hodges, Greenville’s pitcher, struggled early in the game, walking five. He settled down and finished with a flourish, striking out the final six batters.
“When we got behind 4-0, I called the boys over and told them four runs was nothing. We had scored 12 runs in one inning earlier this year,” Greenville Manager Wayne Hardee said. “I had confidence in the boys that they could do it.”
Cypress looked like it was going to roll. It got a run in the first inning without a hit. With one out Pat Cassa walked and Matt Swims reached on an error. Alba, a left-handed batter, slapped a pitch down the third-base line to Sam Byrum, who tried to tag Cassa, but missed. Cassa eventually scored on a force play.
Cypress got three more runs in the third inning. Cassa walked and took third on a wild pitch. Matt Swims walked, then Alba hit the ball again right at Byrum, who underthrew second baseman Brack Massey in an attempt to force Swims. The ball went into center field, scoring Cassa. Swims scored when Barnhill overthrew the plate from center field. Alba took third. Bryan Pepperdine grounded out and when Wesley grounded to shortstop, Alba tried to score, but was thrown out by Hardee.
Nathan Lara looped a hit to right field, moving pinch-runner Scott Meixel to third and he scored on Logan Carillo’s pinch-hit single to left field.
It would prove to be the final hurrah for Cypress, which became the second team (Moorpark in 1996) from Southern California since pool play began in 1992 not to advance to the U.S. Championship game.