Coginchaug Fans Head to Williamsport to Support Westport Little League

By Scott Strang

Williamsport, Pennsylvania is about as typical a central PA town as you will find. A 4+ hour drive from Durham, Williamsport is a working class community of about 30,000 that was the 18th century lumber capitol of the region and then the paper industry that would come later. Home of Lycoming University, it is a quiet college town in the Allegheney Mountains. But then there is that week every August where 16 baseball teams from around the world come to visit.

Check out the Coginchaug Visits Williamsport photo gallery

At any one time, the facility will have about 30,000 people on site to watch games in the grandstands or out on the hill at Volunteer or Lamade Stadium. Imagine the Durham Fair, only going on for 10 straight days. As you approach the site, across the Susquehanna River in South Williamsport, you wait in traffic for 10-20 minutes until you finally give up and park in the yard of a nearby resident. There is a museum of Little League history on site, a couple of souvenir stores where you can buy replica jerseys of each of the 16 teams, and there is the steep outfield grass hill at Lamade Stadium, and sliding down on a cardboard box a tradition in which all kids watching will participate.

On Thursday, 5 Coginchaug little League families, the Barretts, Kellys, Kleczkowskis, Labasis, and Strangs (Later joined by the Ryans), all converged on South Williamsport for opening day ceremonies and two days of opening round games. Coginchaug may have had their season halted by Westport in the state final, but that was no reason not to go and cheer them on in the World Series. 

We watched Panama defeat Puerto Rico in the opening game 9-4, and then caught some of the surprise win by Washington over Corpus Christi, Texas. On a weekday you can get seats in the stadiums, as we did for the Panama game and then for the first ever appearance by Australia against Mexico. (On weekends it is almost impossible to get a seat in the arena unless you stake one out 60-90 minutes ahead of time.) Mexico handled Australia easily, 12-0 in 3-1/2 innings in a mercy-rule win. 

We then settled in to a back row seat at Lamade Stadium for the Westport vs South Nashville game. Once again Chad Knight would take the mound for Westport and he would not disappoint. Knight opened with a 1-2-3 inning, striking out 2 Tennessee batters, and throwing just 10 pitches. In the bottom of the first, Knight singled for the game's first hit. Harry Azadian followed with a single, and when the throw in to third base went out of play it appeared Knight would be awarded the run, but the umpires reviewed the play on instant replay and Knight was brought back to third. Matt Stone singled to score Knight but Azadian was thrown out at home by the right fielder on the play, and the inning ended with Westport ahead 1-0.

In the top of the 3rd, Ben Pickman of Nashville hit a 2 out double, and then stole 3B on a delayed steal. Chris McElvain's RBI single scored Pickman and the score was tied 1 each.

In the bottom of the 4th, Axadian walked, and Charlie Roof hit a 2 out double, but Chris Drbal, pinch running for Azadian, was again thrown out at home plate by the right fielder, keeping the score tied at 1-1 through 4 innings.

In the top of the 5th, Chad Knight was lifted to keep his pitch count below 65, and Azadian came in to pitch. He gave up a first pitch homerun to centerfield, and Westport trailed for the first time in the series.

Behind 2-1, Ricky Offenberg returned the favor on the first pitch of the bottom of the 5th, as he drove a ball 225 feet off the top of the wall in right centerfield to tie the game, Chris Drbal followed with a single, and Knight brought him home with a 2 out double to left center, as Westport regained the lead 3-2.

Azadian got credit for a blown save, but set down the final 3 South Nashville hitters to secure the win and a chance to play Washington on Sunday afternoon in a winners bracket game. We won't be around for that game, but will be watching 4 more opening round games Friday. The series goes on through the week, with the US and International finals next Saturday, and the World Series on ABC next Sunday afternoon. Every game of the series is televised on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. It is a unique experience for anyone who enjoys baseball, and brings some final closure for the crazy and fantastic season so many of our families participated in at Coginchaug the past 16 weeks.