Colts stampede foes in Cooperstown

This past spring, the Carey Seahawks proved that baseball was alive and well in Franklin Square when they advanced to the New York State baseball semifinals.

Not to be outdone, 14 young men representing Franklin Square went on a miraculous run of their own when they traveled to Cooperstown Dreams Park to compete against teams from across the country.

The Franklin Square Colts (12U) competed among 104 teams from 21 different states, as well as a pair of teams from Canada Aug. 6-12, in the town best known as the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The Colts exceeded all expectations by advancing to the quarterfinal round and finishing in seventh place. The team won seven of its 10 games.

The team’s coaching staff, which is comprised of Tony Collura, Joe Napolitano, Anthony Di Clemente, and Ken Conrade couldn’t have been prouder. “The boys played great ball against some of the toughest competition in the country,” Di Clemente said. “The seventh place finish was an accomplishment that nobody could have imagined. It was an experience that will never be forgotten.”

Things got started with the Skills Competition. The Colts were flawless in the “Around the Horn Plus” competition, a team event that involves nine players. The competition begins the ball being thrown from the catcher to third base, and ends, eleven tosses later, with the left fielder throwing the ball to the plate. The Colts finished in seventh place with a time of 24.75 seconds.

After the terrific showing in the Skills Competition, the Colts carried positive momentum onto the diamond when the games began. One day one, the team won two close decisions; a 6-5 nail biter over the Simi Valley Bats (California) and a 10-7 win against LC Lazers Gold (Missouri).

After a 15-4 rout of Chicago Welles Park (Illinois), the Colts endured their first loss to Sal Urso’s High Performance (Florida) 3-1. The following day, the team also split a pair of games, losing to the Texas Nationals 9-8, and closing out regular game competition with a 12-3 romp over the Pleasant Grove Vikings (Utah).

The 104 teams were then seeded for single elimination bracket play. The Colts earned the 30th seed and drew the Carolina Pirates (North Carolina) in the opening game. After running out to a quick 6-0 lead, the Colts held off a furious Pirates rally and won 8-7.

Next up was the undefeated Dynamite Baseball Club (Pennsylvania). Again, the Colts survived and advanced with a gutty 11-8 victory. The winning continued for the boys from Franklin Square with an 11-9 win over California’s Tustin Thunder, but the team ran out of magic and lost in the round of eight.

Losing in the quarterfinals didn’t bring the players or coaches down. “The unbelievable run ended, but you couldn’t tell by the by the boys reactions,” Collura said. “Memories were made that will last a lifetime.”