By Ted Waddell
FREMONT CENTER — July 5, 2005 – Up until the fourth inning, things were looking pretty good for the home team.
In last Thursday evening’s Cal Ripken League All-Stars Tournament matchup between the Sullivan County team and the visitors from Beacon, the local lads jumped out to a one-run lead in the bottom of the first.
But the Beacon team sent five runners across the plate in the top of the fourth on its way to a 7-2 victory.
Beacon is now in its sixth season in the Cal Ripken League and this is the Sullivan County squad’s inaugural year.
Cody Fredo pitched four innings and Troy Edwards hurled two for Sullivan. For Beacon, the six innings were split right down the middle by D.J. Pavelock and Ryan Tomkins.
Fredo also had a good day at the plate. He went 3-for-3, smacking a triple, a double and a single.
“It was a great game for all the kids,” Beacon Manager Tony Fragomeni said.
With the victory at the Town of Fremont ballfield, the team from Beacon is now 2-0 in the All-Star tourney and hopes to make it to the state tournament in Albany.
“For a first year program, they are headed in the right direction,” Fragomeni said of the Sullivan players and coaches.
Sullivan Manager Scooter Lovgren said it was an excellent game.
“But then we had a bad inning,” he said, referring to Beacon’s five-run fourth inning.
“The kids played fantastic,” Lovgren added.
Lovgren credited the play of the Beacon team, and hoped they would head home with a message for other teams in the league. He said that message would be, “watch out for us.”
Debbie Lovgren, Sullivan County Cal Ripken League President, said that league officials chartered the countywide league this spring since local Little League was almost a thing of the past, as most kids are now old enough for high school baseball.
“Somebody had to come along and take over, or there wasn’t going to be any baseball for our kids,” she said.
For the Lovgrens, the Sullivan County Cal Ripken Team is a family affair: Scooter is the team manager, Debbie serves as league president, their 11-year-old son Connor is the team’s catcher and 12-year-old son Erik plays second base.
For more information about Sullivan County Cal Ripken Team, please call Debbie Lovgren at 482-3911.
To learn more about the Cal Ripken League – which was named after Cal Ripken Sr., who spent 37 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles as a player and later as the team’s manager – please visit www.eny.baberuth.org.