Panama grounds East Nepean Eagles
Superior pitching too much for Canadian team
Early on in Monday night’s game, ESPN spelled it out in kids’ terms with a graphic that read simply enough how the winner would go on to face Chinese Taipei while the loser would go back to school.
First of all, there is nothing wrong with going back to school. And, second, there is no loser when you can go back to school as Canadian Little League champions.
The underdog East Nepean Eagles will have plenty of stories to tell on the first day back in the classroom, never mind that Aguadulce, Panama, representing Latin America, completely dismantled the Canadian champions 12-0, needing just four innings to move on to the quarter-finals at the Little League World Series by virtue of the 10-run mercy rule at Volunteer Stadium in Williamsport, Penn.
The loss eliminates the Eagles at 1-2. though they gain a lifetime of memories wearing the Canada jerseys.
The Eagles simply had no answer to the pitching of Edgario Rosales and Jordan Agrazal, managing just a single by Jack Walsh with one out in the fourth.
At the same time, three East Nepean pitchers, ace Angus Adams, Walsh and Clay Surrett were simply overmatched by the Panama hitters, giving up six runs in each of the second and third innings while surrendering 13 hits.
After a scoreless top of the first, the Eagles had two on in the bottom of the inning and couldn’t score and the Panamanians followed with a sixrun outburst against Adams that sealed it.
The Eagles leave Williamsport with a loss to Chinese Taipei, a win over the Czech Republic and a crushing defeat.
“We elevated a lot of fastballs, but we’ll wake up (Tuesday) and realize it’s been a helluva run,” said East Nepean head coach Mark Keeping. “You never want to lose, never like we did.
“But we know what a great accomplishment this has been. We’ll look back and appreciate all the sacrifices and hard work we did to get here. It’s just tough how it ended.”
Keeping has coached seven years in Little League and can say he has never failed to get every player an at-bat in a game.
So sensing the game was out of hand, he gave Adams a much-deserved curtain call with Adams showing his unselfishness in giving up his final at-bat for a part-time player.
That occurred in the final East Nepean time at the plate and Adams got a rousing ovation.
“It was tough seeing your workhorse get hit around like that,” Keeping said. “For three years, he’s been the top pitcher in the country for his age.
“But I asked him if I could let someone else hit and he said right away to go ahead.”
East Nepean will stay the rest of the week and already has a friendly game setup for Wednesday against a U.S. opponent that will give some of the lesser-used players a chance to play.