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The latest walk-off win for the Stamford 15u Babe Ruth team might have been its biggest. Jeff Cortese hit an RBI-single in the bottom of the eighth inning to win the New England regional championship over Leominster, Mass., 5-4. Dramatics have become the norm for Stamford, as the win was the third of the walk-off variety in the tournament.
Stamford jumped out to an early 4-0 lead thanks to an RBI double by Travis Docimo, but almost let the game slip away. The defense got sloppy with four errors in the sixth inning. Docimo threw an easy grounder away and Stamford catcher Jason LoRusso's pick-off throw sailed into left field, cutting the lead to one. The tying run scored on yet another error on a muffed grounder to second. Stamford starter Danny O'Leary was lifted from the game after the miscues, despite allowing just one earned run in 5 1/3 innings. Luis Lopez continued to be reliable in relief shutting down the bases loaded Leominster threat to keep the game knotted at four. Kevin Epp doubled with two outs in the eighth to set up Cortese's heroics. Lopez got his third win of the tournament and could be considered Stamford's MVP in the regionals for his lights-out relief efforts.
Stamford will now travel to Monticello, Ark., for the Babe Ruth World Series. Pool play begins Aug. 20, when Stamford takes on Saginaw Valley, Mich.
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