Lynn Babe Ruth mourns lost friend, Salim Fort

PLYMOUTH – Last weekend, the worst thing that happened to Taylor Newhall was that she hit a ball during a Babe Ruth softball tournament that had extra bases – not to mention RBI – written all over it? only to see the opposing left fielder make a circus catch.That was last weekend. This Saturday, she was sitting in the bleachers at Siever Field in Plymouth, with her sister and two of their friends, waiting to distribute bracelets commemorating drowning victim Salim Fort to the Babe Ruth baseball players competing for an eastern Massachusetts championship.Taylor Newhall didn?t know Fort personally, though her sister Paige did. The other two girls present – Alex Newhall (another sister) and Kianna Watler – knew Fort somewhat, but not well.But of course, that didn?t matter. His death last week after drowning at Breeds Pond hit them hard just the same. Newhall had teammates on her U16 softball all-star team who knew Fort; and all four girls also knew how close he was to a lot of the boys on the team, particularly shortstop Kyle Devin.?They were best friends,” said Paige Newhall. “After the last game (the EMass semifinal, which Lynn won, 4-2) they said they?d dedicated the game to Salim. They?re dedicating this one to him too. We wanted to do something. We heard about the bracelets that were being made, so yesterday we made enough for the whole team.”The boys couldn?t wear the bracelets during the game – tournament officials did not allow any jewelry of any kind to be worn – so the girls waited until after the game (a 4-3 loss to Plymouth) to pass them out.?It?s so sad,” said Taylor Newhall, who is going into her junior year at English. “It?s sad that it happened to him, and that his family has to go through this. I heard about it, and even though I didn?t know him well, it?s the sort of thing that kind of made you wish you were there? just because maybe, if you were there, things might have turned out different.”?He was such a good kid,” Paige Newhall said. “I feel so bad for the family. But I?m so happy the people from Lynn are getting together to help with the funeral. His family shouldn?t have to be worrying about money along with everything else.”Fort was on the minds of many Saturday. A healthy contingent of Lynn fans showed up, several with the Fort T-shirts that were sold after he drowned. Many of the parents of players also wore bracelets.And manager Mike Mageary acknowledge afterward that Salim?s death took its toll on his players.?How could it not?” asked Mageary, a member of the Lynn police force. “But I think we handled it maturely.?We instilled in those kids the idea that we mourn, but we go on,” Mageary said. “And that we needed to maintain our composure.?But,” he said, “it was there. They shouldn?t have to be going through this, you know? We?ve been saying since Day 1 that we?re a family? and I was proud of our family and how it got through this.”Lynn Babe Ruth president Jim Beliveau said that under the circumstances, the players handled their grief very well.?They were unbelievable,” Beliveau said. “When they heard about it (at practice), they had their own meeting and got it all out. No 15-year-old should have to go through this.?We gave them their time to cry? they cried? and then they just got focused and kept playing. And they did an awesome job representing Lynn Babe Ruth.”