West University powered its way to ’09 title
Asia-Pacific’s ILLAM Central, Makati City, Philippines, turned it around to make semis as Canada and Maine suffered close losses

West University Little League, from Houston, Texas, defeated Niles-CentervilleL.L., of Fremont, Calif., 9-7 to win the 2009 Senior League World Series.

An estimated crowd of 1,200 at Mansfield and countless more watching the game live on ESPNU saw the Texans jump out to a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning and go up 7-0 before Niles-Centerville came back with six runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Down 9-6 heading into the bottom of the seventh, West-Niles scored once more and got the tying run to the plate before running out of outs. The California kids had tried to become the third team to go undefeated in a Bangor World Series.

West University finished the series with a 3-1 pool play record and a 5-1 overall record. Niles-Centerville finished pool play with a 4-0 record and finished at 5-1. Niles-Centerville became the third team to enter the championship game undefeated but come up empty for the title. Pearl City L.L., Pearl City, Hawaii, was undefeated in pool play in 2005 and again in 2006.

The 2009 series featured greater parity than ever, as every team except Canada went home with at least one win. For Canada representative Cornwall L.L., Cornwall, Ontario, it was a particularly frustrating week, for Cornwall lost two games by one run and a third by three runs in 12 innings. The 12-inning loss was to Niles-Centerville after Cornwall tied the game 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh.

Maine District 3 host Bangor East/West L.L., from Bangor, also had a frustrating week. Seeking to become the first Maine District 3 team to win two games in a series, Bangor East/West lost to Northwood L.L., Greenville, S.C., 4-2 on a walk-off home run in the 10th inning and 7-6 to Niles-Centerville on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth inning on the last day of pool play.

On the other end of the spectrum, ILLAM Central, Makati City, Philippines, became the first Asia-Pacific team to advance to the semifinals in a Bangor World Series when it finished pool play with a 3-1 record. One of Illam Central’s victories was a thrilling 5-4 win over Northwood on a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the seventh inning. Illam Central’s play was quite a turnaround from the team’s 2008 performance in Bangor, when it lost all four of its pool play games.

Illam Central’s ride ended with a 6-1 loss to West University in the semifinal round. West University scored four of its runs in the first inning, thanks to a grand slam by Michael Resnick.

Another bright spot was the play of Friuli Venezia Giulia L.L., Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy. The Europe-Middle East-Africa champ broke the region’s 14-game losing streak with a 10-8 win over West Madison National L.L., Madison, Wis. The Italians held their own against eventual series champ West University, losing 6-3 in pool play.

Six of the series’ 23 games were decided by one run and three were decided by two runs. Only three games ended early because of the 10-run rule. Three games went into extra innings, with one going 10 innings and another going 12 innings. Three games were won in the final plate appearance.

Individually, West University’s Resnick created the buzz of the series. The pitcher and third baseman set Bangor series records with four home runs, 22 total bases, and a 1.571 slugging percentage. The previous records were held by Alejandro Diaz, who played for Central L.L., Agana, Guam, in 2005. In that series, Diaz hit three homers and slugged 1.357. Diaz, however, had set his home run record in only four games while Resnick needed a fifth game to get his fourth homer.

Nevertheless, Resnick’s performance was impressive. Four of his seven hits were home runs. He had one single, one double, and a triple for his other hits.

South Vineland L.L., Vineland, N.J.’s Chris Bell set a record of his own at the plate, hitting four triples in the series. He had three in his team’s 8-6 pool play loss to West Madison. The previous record had been two, held by 10 players.

2009 alumni who went on to play professionally were Aruba South’s Xander Bogaerts (Boston Red Sox) and Jair Bogaerts (Red Sox).