By Roy Fuchs
“Our pockets were vibrating” Westport Little League World Series team mother Elise Stone said today about text messages arriving during the team’s come-from-behind victory in Williamsport, Pa. against Sammamish, Wash.
Little League mom Elise Stone addresses today’s Sunrise Rotary Club meeting as Coach Tom Rogers and four players listen. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Hal Levy for WestportNow.com
She joined Coach Tim Rogers and four players, including her son, Matt, the team’s catcher, at the weekly Sunrise Rotary Club meeting to give the group a glimpse of their adventure that kept Westporters and many across the nation on edge during their quest for the title.
The game she talked about was the U.S. semi-final game against Sammamish in which the favored Westport team had fallen behind 13-6 by the time they came to bat in the bottom of the fifth inning.
As the score mounted against them, Stone said she was fielding what became 2,500 text messages. The first said “they did great.”
But it was far from over for the parents, who hoped for the miracle. The team did their part, scoring seven runs that inning to tie the game. The miracle came when they won on a walk off single in the seventh.
She said as Westport scored, the messages changed, first to “Oh my gosh,” could they?” Then “they’re doing it.” Finally, “they did it!”
Stone also spoke more broadly, about the team, and how Rogers helped them learn more than just baseball. He emphasized hard work, teamwork and sportsmanship, she said.
She added that he also “coached” the parents, helping give them a team focus, and helping keep the focus on the next game, and not on the prize at the end of the rainbow.
