Fourteen 13-year-olds from Camas-Washougal Babe Ruth are on their way to the World Series, in Jamestown, New York.
“It’s like a dream,” said center fielder Evan Stott. “A World Series is something every kid wants to go to. It’s only rewarded by hard work.”
Stott, Blake Asciutto, Kolby Broadbent, Tyler Forner, Jackson Gibbs, Drew Ott, Riley Sinclair, Keegan Amberg, Beau Kearsey, Logan Kearsey, Michael Whitney, Tyler Egan, Gideon Malychewski and Kolton Andrews have played pivotal roles in making this dream a reality. So have coaches Bob Gibbs, Kent Broadbent and Andrew Ott.
“All of the pieces fit. It’s really neat to see as a coach,” Gibbs said. “When we first got together, our goal was to win a state title. Winning regionals on top of that was like the icing on the cake. Nobody expected us to make it all the way to the World Series. Our goal is to win the whole thing. Why not us?”
Camas-Washougal rallied from seven runs down to defeat Chehalis-Centralia 11-10 for the state championship in nine innings.
“Winning state in that way gave us a lot of confidence,” Forner said. “If we get down, we know we have the talent and the fight to come back in every game.”
Camas-Washougal traveled to Meridian, Idaho, with more to prove. They won all four of their pool play games at the Pacific Northwest Regional by outscoring their opponents 41-11.
Saturday morning’s semifinal game featured a rematch between the two state championship teams. Camas-Washougal vanquished their rivals 10-4. Kolby Broadbent delivered a 3-run single to help Malychewski earn the victory on the mound.
“We’ve become a family out there,” Broadbent said. “As we get older, I hope we can stick together and keep winning.”
Camas-Washougal defeated East Boise 11-6 Saturday afternoon to become Pacific Northwest Regional champions. Sinclair helped himself out on the mound by driving in five runs at the plate. Broadbent added three hits and scored three runs.
“I’ve watched the Little League World Series on television. And now, we’re flying to New York,” Forner said. “We’re going to play baseball in the biggest tournament in Babe Ruth. This is an experience we’re never going to forget.”
The Babe Ruth World Series begins Wednesday, Aug. 15. Camas-Washougal is guaranteed at least four games.
The winners of the American and National Division play in the World Series championship game Saturday, Aug. 22.
“If we lose all four of those games giving everything we got, it’s still a great accomplishment. If we win all four, it will be even better,” Broadbent said. “We’ll always have these memories of winning state and region, playing in the moment and rising up against the pressure. If you want to win, you can.”
Camas-Washougal Babe Ruth set up a “GoFundMe” account to help players and parents pay for travel expenses. To make a donation, visit www.gofundme.com/g8d59xnag.
