SENIOR DIVISION (18 & under) Jackson, Mississippi

CHAMPION: Bayside Yankees, Long Island, New York

RUNNER-UP: Jackson 96ers, Mississippi

Final Game Score: Yankees 7 vs. 96ers 1

Congratulations to the Bayside Yankees – NABF Senior Division World Series Champions

The Bayside Yankees of Long Island, New York won the 62^nd annual NABF Senior Division World Series which took place on Sunday, August 8^th in the city of Jackson, Mississippi at Smith-Wills Stadium.  The title game featured the Yankees who beat the Jackson 96ers by a score of 7-1, with Rawlings Tournament MVP Steven Schwartz of the Yankees going the distance on the mound for the complete game in seven innings of work.  Schwartz gave up eight hits, only allowing one run in the finale and earlier pitched his way to a save against the 96ers by a score of 3-1, on Thursday night. 

The Championship game started off with some excitement as the 96ers came out with a single in the top of the first, but could not get the run across.  The Bayside Yankees came up in the bottom of the inning against 96er starting pitcher Jack Craven, opening up with three consecutive singles by Thomas Lee, Maxwell Most and Tim Federowicz, who would have an RBI and accounted for one of the two runs scored in the inning.  Chris Garcia then made his way to the plate and singled home Maxwell Most to account for the second run and a 2-0 lead.  The 96ers turned a double play to end the inning and headed to the second.

The top of the second inning started off with the 96ers threatening right back as they would load the bases with no outs after a hit by Jack Craven, a walk to Corey Stevens and a single by Nathan Wright.  However, the 96ers could not capitalize on the opportunity in part because of Yankee third-baseman Pedro Alvarez, who would make two plays to end the threat.  Alvarez cut down a runner at the plate for the first out and then would make a diving play to his left to start a 5-4-3 double play for the second and third outs.  Craven held Bayside in the bottom of the second inning to keep the score at 2-0 going to the third.

The third inning proved to be just as exciting as the previous two and was a pivotal inning in the Championship.  In the top, the 96ers managed to score a run off of Schwartz with the help of Jarrod Parks who hit a one out triple to left for his second hit in the ballgame.  Alan Harris then came up to hit a line drive up the middle to single home Parks for the run and make it a 2-1 game.  The Yankees came up in the bottom of the third and began to open up the ballgame in their favor, scoring four runs.  The rally was started with one out, when Maxwell Most singled, accounting for his second of three hits in the game.  Most then scored on Tim Federowicz’s double off of the left field wall.  Pedro Alvarez was walked by the 96ers to set up a force situation and potential double play, but Chris Garcia of the Yankees had different thoughts as he singled home Federowicz for his second hit and RBI.  To conclude the Yankees rally, Alvarez and Garcia scored on a 96er error to take the lead at 6-1 after three.

After Scwartz sat the 96ers down in order in the top of the fourth, the Yankees scored their seventh run in the bottom of the inning off of reliever Matt Jordan.  The Yankees cause was helped by back to back singles by Lee and Most.  The duo then double stole second and third base to set up their seventh run by Lee, who crossed the plate by way of a ground out to second by Alvarez.

The 96ers came up in the top of the fifth and would threaten one last time, but the threat was answered with the help of Bayside Yankee right fielder, Chris Hervey.  Hervey made a great play to hold the 96ers from scoring off of a shot hit by Alan Harris in the right-center gap.  Hervey snagged that ball before it got by him to hold Kyle Lindsey from scoring and start any type of momentum for the 96ers.

Bayside Yankee pitcher Steven Scwartz came to the mound in the final inning with a 7-1 lead and retired the 96ers in order to give the Bayside Yankees their second NABF Senior Division World Series title.   

Senior Division World Series Tournament MVP and Batting Champion

Congratulations to Steven Schwartz of the Bayside Yankees, who earned the Rawlings NABF Senior Division World Series MVP for his play throughout the Series as well as pitching his way to the Championship game win and a save earlier in the tournament against Runner-up Jackson 96ers.  In the Championship, Schwartz went seven innings, struck out two, walked one, gave up eight hits, and only gave up one earned run. 

Congratulations to Jacob Goebbert of the Norwood Blues, Rawlings NABF Senior Division Batting Champion.  Goebbert hit for an average of .473 throughout World Series play.

2005 NABF SENIOR DIVISION ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM