By STAN HUDY
www.cliftonparkworldseries.com
CLIFTON PARK – Cinderella may wear a glass spike versus a glass slipper.
The Clifton Park Bulldog 13-year-old Babe Ruth Baseball team took a historic step in local baseball history and stood on the doorstep of entering national lore.
The 13-year-old Babe Ruth World Series host team defeated Capital Region and Eastern New York State champion Guilderland, 4-1, Friday morning to advance to the 7 p.m. championship game.
“We’re one game away from being World Champions,” Clifton Park manager Matt Frey said. “That was our goal in the beginning whether it sounded unfeasible or not I’m sure it did, but they’ve always had the belief to get into that situation.”
Clifton Park took a rare, early lead, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning, both unearned.
Zach Sargent led off with a walk, stealing second and advancing to third on a passed ball. Matt Alverson walked, advanced on a throwing error by the catcher and both Clifton Park runners scored on a fielding error by the shortstop for the early 2-0 lead.
That would prove to be enough for starter Mason Munger who didn’t see action the first three World Series contests, but proved to be invaluable in game four on the mound and at the plate.
“He had a great last game, I wanted to ride that momentum,” Frey said. “He was player of the game he gave up only four hits and I wanted to ride that out and see how much he could give us.
“After the third he struggled a little bit, but he pitched fantastic,” Frey said. “He kept guys off balance; he threw first-pitch strikes and gave up two hits.”
Munger even changed his manager’s mind in the middle of the contest.
“It was supposed to be me going three innings and then Liam Harrison coming in,” Munger said. “But I told Matt Frey that my arm felt good. I just kept working, that’s it.”
Munger didn’t want to come out, handling the role of set-up man for the championship game.
“There is a lot of pressure on me,” Munger said. “I wanted to get the win so we could make it to the championship game. My friend’s brother, Anthony Pizzo, made it to third place, so we wanted to make if further.”
The Bulldogs added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Munger reached on an error by the shortstop, stole second he advanced on Sargent’s infield single. He scored when the pick-off attempt of Sargent skittered away. Sargent reached third on the error and scored on Richard Drum’s sacrifice bunt for the 4-0 lead.
With the lead, Munger earned a rest and Alverson came on in relief.
Guilderland scored in the top of the fifth inning after Jack Grabek walked, advanced on Brandon Peda’s single to left and came around to score on an error created off Cameron Long’s grounder to cut into the lead, 4-1. The Guilderland Bulldogs then couldn’t continue to capitalize on their opportunities.
“We didn’t play well in the field and give credit to Clifton Park, they took advantage of our mistakes,” Guilderland coach Brian Grabek said. “There was a little bit of sloppiness that led to those scores. We had bases loaded the last two innings and only scored that one run.”
Clifton Park committed four errors in the contest, giving Guilderland life once again creating heart-stopping excitement for the home town fans.
“I told them to relax, who wants the ball? Who is going to make the next play? You guys have been there all year,” Frey said. “Those errors were from guys in double play situations, looking at the base before making the catch. So catch first, touch the base, get the out, and relax because you guys are going to do it.”
Frey even took a trip to the mound in the top of the seventh inning to talk to reliever Matt Alverson.
“I was telling him to not show up the umpire because it seemed like they were against us. I don’t think they like the Cinderella story,” Frey said. “I told him, ‘Don’t show him up, it doesn’t help his situation. Let me handle it, let me look like the jerk because you aren’t going to get calls like that.’ Just rear back and throw because they are not going to touch it.’”
The win poised Clifton Park to continue its historic run.
“Great moments come from great opportunities and this is an opportunity of a lifetime,” Frey said. “We can’t be satisfied; we have to go for the win.”

To review the play-by-play webcase from above the world series field, visit 13yr old Babe Ruth World Series semifinal Clifton Park, NY vs. Guilderland, NY

Review the streaming video from GlobalSports.net at Babe Ruth TV.