Venice Seniors Even at RBI World Series

No one said it would be easy, but the Venice Boys & Girls Club Urban Youth Academy's Senior Division baseball team is right in the thick of things at the 2011 Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities World Series in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Venice is no stranger to the tournament, having won both the Junior and Senior Division RBI World Series titles in 2009 in Miami.

Now the Senior team (ages 16-18), coached by James Bishop, is on the brink of another championship after falling in the regional finals last summer. Venice finished West Pool play second behind undefeated Venezuela RBI, the Caribbean Region champion and the first-ever South American team in the tournament's 19-year history.

In its final round robin game Friday, Venice tied the Union Boys & Girls Club/Chicago Cubs 3-3 in eight innings to finish 1-1-1 in the West Pool and put itself in strong position heading to the weekend's interleague phase of the competition. 

Second baseman Damon Aikins had one double, one RBI and one run scored, catcher Tim Kosman and first baseman Juan Avena each had one double and one RBI, shortstop Steve Pascual had one single and one run scored, designated hitter Kevin Maxey singled and left fielder Johnny Trevino scored one run for Venice, the West Region champion. 

Starter Jerry Keel allowed three runs on four hits with four strikeouts in four and 1/3 innings and Ricky Schafer allowed two hits with five strikeouts over the final three and 2/3 innings for Venice. 

On Thursday, Aikins went three-for-three with a home run, a triple, a double, five RBIs and four runs scored to power Venice to a 15-5 win over defending champion Houston in the first round robin game. 

After Trevino led off the bottom of the first inning with a single, he took second on a wild pitch and scored on a triple by Aikins. Avena followed with an RBI single and scored on a double by third baseman Mike Duarte.

Center fielder Alex Newman hit a one-out double in the second inning and, two batters later, Aikins hit a two-run homer. Avena scored the third run of the inning on Duarte's base hit and Venice led this year's Southwest Regional champion 6-3.

Kerry Kelley, one of four players left from Venice's 2009 championship team, pitched all five innings for Venice, allowing seven hits with seven strikeouts and three walks. 

Avena and Duarte each had three hits and three RBIs as Venice tacked on three runs in the third to go ahead 9-3 and answered Houston's two-run rally in the top of the fifth with six runs in the bottom of the frame. Venice, the 2009 RBI Senior champion, finished with 14 hits. 

Thursday's second game was a stark contrast to the first, as Venice was held hitless in a 8-1 loss to Venezuela. 

Right fielder DJ Wallace scored Venice's only run on Kosman's sacrifice fly to right field in the top of the second inning. Starting pitcher TyRay Gatewood went three and 2/3 innings, Dillion Tate went one and 1/3 and Schafer pitched the final inning for Venice.

Venice takes on Northeast Region champion Jersey City (1-2), the third-place team in the East Pool, in an elimination game Saturday. The winner will play either Central Region champion Chicago (0-2-1) or Southeast Region champion Tampa Bay (3-0-0) in the semifinals later in the day.

The championship game is Sunday at 1 p.m. Central Standard Time at Target Field, home of Major League Baseball's Minnesota Twins.

The RBI World Series is the crowning event for an organization started in 1989 to provide youth free year-round baseball and softball games. The RBI program now has 300 leagues nationwide and approximately 200,000 children ages 5-18 participating.

Click here for the complete schedule of games.

RBI WORLD SERIES SENIOR DIVISION

Round Robin Standings

West Pool

Venezuela RBI -- 3 wins, 0 losses, 0 ties

Venice Boys & Girls Club -- 1 win, 1 loss, 1 tie

Houston RBI -- 1 win, 2 losses, 0 ties

Union Boys & Girls Club/Chicago Cubs -- 0 wins, 2 losses, 1 tie

East Pool                                                   

Tampa Bay Boys & Girls Club -- 3 wins, 0 losses, 0 ties            

Harrisburg RBI -- 1 win, 1 loss, 1 tie

Jersey City RBI -- 0 wins, 1 loss, 2 ties

Cleveland Baseball Federation RBI -- 0 wins, 2 losses, 1 tie