CL Babe Ruth 14U Wins MCBL Championship

The Crystal Lake Babe Ruth 14U tournament team rallied from a 2-run deficit in the bottom of the 7th inning with a 3-run rally, securing a 5-4 win over the Warriors Baseball 14U team at Lippold Park, earning Babe Ruth the 2014 McHenry County Baseball League South Division Championship. The teams traded runs through the first two innings before the Warriors scored in the top of the 3rd for a 3-2 lead, which they'd extend to 4-2, going into the bottom of the final inning before Babe Ruth rallied for the win.

Babe Ruth kept it close with good defense behind pitchers James Cormier, Roth Mizell, and Alex Weber (W) before plating the game winning run in the bottom of the 7th. Leading off the final inning, Tyler Hasken singled an 0-2 curveball into center field to spark the game winning rally, but was erased on a Fielders Choice, leave Cormier as the runner on 1st. Jack Becker and Liam O'Donnell both safely reached base, with Cormier scoring to draw within one. With runners on 2nd and 3rd with only one out, Weber was intentionally walked to set up a potential double play for the Warriors, but It was not to be; Becker scored the tying run on a Wild Pitch and Seamus O'Donnell's ground ball to 3rd was enough to allow Liam O'Donnell to score the championship run, touching off a bench clearing celebration for the home team.

Manager Justin Banaszynski, a 15-year veteran of youth baseball coaching, led the CL Babe Ruth's squad to an 11-3 record in league play, earning the team the #2 seed in the playoffs, during which they completed an unblemished run to the championship with solid teamwork, strong pitching across the entire staff and timely hitting up and down the lineup. 
 
The CL Babe Ruth 14U team is a goal based Player Development Program which emphasizes team and individual goal achievements over wins and losses.