In Tuesday’s first-round elimination game of the Babe Ruth World Series, Jake Babuschak went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and three RBI. File Photo by Michael A. Sabo

By Rich Fisher
Fish4scores.com

Aug. 15: The Hamilton-Northern Burlington Bulls are like someone calling the cable company. They’ve been put on hold.

After rallying twice and then busting it open in Tuesday’s first-round elimination game, H-NB must now wait to try and close out a win over Midwest Plains in the Babe Ruth 14-year-old World Series in Glen Allen Virginia.

A rainstorm has forced the game’s suspension, with the Bulls holding a 13-6 lead in the top of the seventh. When play resumes at noon Wednesday, MP will have runners on first and second with no outs against Tyler Solymosi.

After posting consecutive zeroes on the scoreboard over the first three innings, Hamilton-Northern Burlington decided to diversify over the final three in ascending order.

Thus, 000 morphed into 346 as the Bulls lit up the MP pitching over the game’s second half.

Mike Giambelluca is 3-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored, while Tyler Solymosi is 2-for-2 with two runs and David Zamora has two hits and an RBI.

But it is the 6-7 spots in the lineup who are stealing the show in this one, as Zac Brown and Jake Babuschak each went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and three RBI. All of Brown’s RBI came on a huge three-run triple in the sixth.

For 4½ innings Midwest Plains put up the biggest fight H-NB has seen this summer, as it jumped to leads of 2-0 and 6-3. But each time the Bulls (which we finally realized is their nickname, thereby rendering the Uuummmms extinct) rallied back before heaping a pile of six runs on Midwest Plains to take control in the sixth.

For the second straight game, H-NB allowed two first-inning runs and trailed 2-0 through 3½ innings. The Bulls tried to rally back in the bottom of the first but left the bases loaded.

The tide turned in the fourth when H-NB plated three runs for the lead. Giambelluca walked, Brown doubled and both scored on Babuschak’s double. Luckie then singled home Babuschak to make it 3-2.

Midwest Plains did not seem fazed by the Bulls charge, putting up four in the top of the fifth. But in a game that seems no lead is safe, H-NB followed suit with four in the bottom of the inning, all with two outs and nobody on (something the Bulls have mastered during the tournament).

Giambelluca started with what looked like an innocent single. It got interesting when Tyler Solymosi singled and Brown walked to load the bases. Babuschak’s hard grounder was booted to score Giambelluca, Tommy Cramer delivered an RBI single, Luckie was hit by a pitch to force in a run and Danilo Perdomo walked to force in the go-ahead run as H-NB got four runs on just two hits.

After Zamora threw a scoreless sixth, the Bulls made sure to take the heart out of anymore comeback attempts but erupting for six runs in the bottom of the frame.

Gavin Martin, Giambelluca and Solymosi led off with singles to load the bases, and Brown blasted a three-run triple to bust it open. Babuschak singled home Brown, Cramer bunted Babuschak to second and, after Jake advanced on a wild pitch, he scored on Connor Luckie’s fielder’s choice bunt. After Perdomo reached on a fielder’s choice, he stole second and scored on Zamora’s single.

They began the top of the seventh with MP getting a single and a walk, but the rains came and everyone went home for the night.