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Cinderella ride ends for baseball All-Stars

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Sonoma Valley Sun

(By Zach Parr | Sun Sports Intern) The Babe Ruth 15-year-old All-Stars miraculous run toward a national title came to an abrupt and bittersweet end on Monday night as they fell in the 2012 Pacific Southwest Regionals in El Segundo.

The team is one of only two Sonoma Valley squads to ever make it this far in Babe Ruth competition. After losing the opening game of the double elimination tournament, Sonoma roared back Sunday with a 9-4 victory over a Utah team. The improbable run ended with Monday’s 5-1 loss to Orcutt, CA.

The loss was disappointing, but can’t take away from how magical the whole experience was for this group of boys.

At first the chances of Sonoma even getting down to El Segundo to compete in the tournament was looking slim. The little town of Sonoma was faced with the daunting task of collecting $10,000 dollars to cover all the expenses of the trip, including hotel lodging for six nights, team transportation, team meals, and necessary supplies.

Sonoma proved up to the challenge and showed its unwavering support. The community was able to come up with an astonishing and unprecedented $13,733 dollars to fund the boys and send them on their way. This was done with the help of team parent Lisa Cavalli, who set up a website to make donating easy.

The players appreciated all the support from the town. “Thank you everyone for your donations,” said Magnus Forsythe. “It feels great to have the community behind our backs.”

Some of the local businesses that showed incredible support were Mary’s Pizza Shack, Friedman’s, Black Bear Diner, and Hannah Boys Center, which donated the use of two 12-passenger vans so the team could travel together. The team also stayed together in the tournament hotel and slept three and four players per room.

A team parent, Jamie Natuzzi said, “The coaches did a great job of staying positive, even when the team was down, and were a great support to the players.”

El Segundo hosted a wonderful tournament. Before Monday’s game, the ballpark staged a special tribute to a lucky Sonoma fan by singing him happy birthday, as well as playing his favorite artist, Bruce Springstein, in between innings.

Win or lose, these boys – and the supportive community — have made us proud. They have represented Sonoma very well, both on and off the field. Even though their dream was cut short they will remember this experience for the rest of their life as Sonoma Baseball All Stars.

Zach Parr is a high school student at Cardinal Newman student




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