STAFFORD, VA — The New England Regional champs headed into their off-day Monday in a great spot at 2-0 through two games of the 2022 Babe Ruth World Series, defeating EAU Claire, Wisconsin and Stafford, Virginia over the weekend.
A day off for the boys from Lynn could not have come at a better time, considering Sunday’s win against Stafford didn’t end until around midnight due to a rain delay.
“The day off is huge. We finally get to catch our breath — it has been a busy couple of days. The kids have been running around not having any routine, which is to be expected but to get the day off right in the middle is huge,” said Lynn Manager Leon Elwell.
One of the biggest keys to Lynn’s success thus far has been its pitching, specifically in the moments that matter the most. Josh Doney showed just what this pitching staff was made of, getting out of some big jams in Lynn’s 2-1 victory over EAU Claire, Wisconsin Saturday.
Sunday against Stafford, Lynn’s arms picked up where they left off in the clutch. Chris Marks was lights out on the mound before the rain delay stopped his outing in what Elwell called his best performance of the entire tournament.
“The kid [Marks] is a winner. He goes out there, and he battles, and he has kept us in every single game that he has pitched. I thought yesterday he pitched his best game of the entire tournament on the biggest stage,” said Elwell.
Jake Peterson also showed the mental toughness of Lynn’s pitching staff Sunday, sealing the victory 6-5 with Stafford holding the game-winning run on second.
“I said to him after the game, he showed a lot of balls on that stage … 6-1 starting the inning all of a sudden it is 6-5, and they have the winning run on second base, and he comes in, and he just closes the door — credit to him he showed a lot of courage there and a lot of mental toughness,” said Elwell.
Being unbeaten in two games, there obviously is not much to gripe about with Lynn’s World Series performance so far, but Elwell says the team can always improve.
“We need to play better — I do not think we have played our best game yet. We have given up six runs; we have not given up an earned run. We have not hit the ball well, but the positive is we found a way to win those two games, and that is what good teams do — they find a way to win when they are not playing their best,” said Elwell.
While Lynn has not particularly hit the ball well in its first two games, posting eight hits during the stretch, it is not for lack of a good approach or contact.
“One of the things we talk about all the time — you just have a good approach at the plate, grind out your at-bat and try to square up the ball as best as you can, and what happens after that is out of your control. We are hitting balls right at people,” said Elwell.
Even with the bats quieter than Lynn would like, the little things like good baserunning have propelled the team to a 2-0 record. In the span of a game, Gilly Galva can beat out an infield single and go from first to third on a passed ball to eventually score. At the same time, Shea Newhall can get a heads-up jump from second and advance to third on a dropped third strike, setting up a score.
Both of the aforementioned plays over the course of Sunday’s victory are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the attention to detail Lynn has displayed all summer to get to the World Series and succeed.
“All these little things — getting good reads on balls going down in the dirt when you are on base, knowing when to move up a base, that is a credit to the boys more than anything, that goes to their focus and their baseball IQ,” said Elwell.
Looking ahead, Lynn will take on Hamilton, N.J., at 10 a.m. Tuesday and then faceoff against Torrance, California, at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the final two games of pool play. Currently, Lynn sits in second place in the American Division.
“These guys are disciplined, they work hard and pay attention to detail, and I think they are focused. We talk to them — do you want to be just the fifth or sixth best team in the country — which is not bad — or do you want to be the best team in the country, and that is their mentality right now,” said Elwell.
