At the end of each regular season the Prince George’s County Babe Ruth League puts together an All-Star team for each respective age group from 13 to 18 years old. The teams are made up of a combination of players from each team that participates in the league during the regular season. This year the 13- to 15-year-old team had a strong Greenbelt presence as Greenbelt players occupied 10 of the 15
available slots. Braden Field was the host site for this year’s state tournament, which consisted of a three-game series vs Frederick County. The series opener was a back-andforth affair that would not be decided until the bottom half of the seventh and final inning. The Prince George’s All Stars (PG) got a strong pitching start from Marc Velasquez (Cheverly) that was squandered by nerves and errors. After just a few innings PG faced a 6-0 deficit. PG fought back to tie the game as Fernando Gomez and Jackson Maul (Greenbelt) delivered savvy relief performances on the mound, only to give the lead right back to Frederick. Entering the seventh inning PG trailed 11 to 9. Daylen Smith (Laurel) walked for PG and Justin Adames (Greenbelt) pinch ran for him to put runners on first and second. With only one out left to work with, RJ Thornburg came to the plate. Stepping into the spotlight Thornburg crushed a fastball into the left centerfield gap and toward the tree-lined edges of the outfield. Both runners came around to score and the noise level at Braden Field was at an all-time high as the game entered the bottom of the seventh tied. Frederick loaded the bases and with a groundball up the middle escaped with a win in game one. A midday start time on Saturday brought Joseph Klein (Greenbelt) to the hill for the All Stars. Klein pitched masterfully, but PG managed only one run in a 6 to 1 defeat that crowned Frederick County state champions. Despite falling short of their goal, the Greenbelt players who participated and the entire Prince George’s County 15U All Star team brought passion, excitement and a lot of fun to Braden Field as it hosted its first state tournament.
Greenbelt Babe Ruth Takes Part in State Tournament
Front row from left, Coach James Willis, Coach Ruth Anne White, Adam Howard, AJ Rizzo, Joseph Klein, Michael Rodriguez, Nick Butler, Jacob Willis, Manager Ian Gleason, Marc Velasquez, Daylen Smith. Back row from left, Coach Patrick Gleason, Joshua Young, Justin Adames, RJ Thornburg, Jackson Maul, Fernando Gomez, Alex Jarboe, Not Pictured: Nikos Cooper.