Cooperstown Tournament Game 1: Buffalo Grove (IL) 5 - Wilton Warriors 4

In the first of six pool play games at Cooperstown All-Star Village, the 10u Wilton Warriors lost a 5-4 nail-biter to the Buffalo Grove (IL) Bearcats in a game decided in the Bearcats’ last at-bat. 

Batting first, the Warriors jumped out to an early 3-0 lead.  With one out in the first, Ryan van Heyst, Sam Strazza and Everett Andersen all walked, loading the bases.  On the next pitch Ryan Sorbo delivered a line single to center to score two and send Andersen to third.  A.J. Preisano’s ground out allowed Andersen to score.

Starting pitcher Andersen pitched the first two innings allowing just one run on no hits.  Then in the top of the third the Warriors struck again.  With two outs and no one on, Sorbo walked, stole second and scored on Preisano’s line drive hit to right, extending the lead to 4-1.

The Bearcats closed the gap to 4-3 in the bottom of the third, an inning highlighted by van Heyst’s diving stop of a hard ground ball and throw to first, just nipping the runner.  One more in the fourth tied the game at 4.

Despite continuing to pound the ball, the Warriors did not score the rest of the contest.  The Bearcats’ center fielder made two leaping catches at the warning track on Warrior line drives, one by van Heyst and the other by Jimmy McKiernan to keep the game tied.

Ryan Johnson came on to pitch the fifth and while the Bearcats threatened, Andersen, now at shortstop and playing in, snagged a ground ball and nailed a runner at home where Sorbo applied the tag.

Buffalo Grove managed to push across the winning run on a little flare to right in the bottom of the sixth to hand the young Warriors the defeat in a very well-played game that saw just one error by each team and terrific glove work by both sides.