Venice Squad Wins RBI World Series

Sunday's championship game of the Reviving Baseball in the Inner Cities World Series was not a competition as much as it was a coronation for the Venice Boys & Girls Club Urban Youth Academy Senior Division team. The team won its second title in three years with a 10-0 six-inning victory over Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at Target Field in Minneapolis.

Led by tournament Most Valuable Player Kerry Kelley, who pitched a complete game one-hitter with two walks and one strikeout, Venice finished the tournament with four wins, one loss and a tie.

First baseman Juan Avena had four hits, two runs and two RBIs; center fielder Alex Newman added two hits, two runs and two RBIs; and shortstop Steve Pascual added two hits, two RBIs and one run scored for Venice, which had 13 hits off four Harrisburg pitchers.

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the third when Newman singled, advanced to second on left fielder Johnny Trevino's sacrifice bunt to first and took third on a wild pitch. After second baseman Damon Aikins walked, Avena singled to score. Newman and Aikins later scored on a groundout to shortstop by right fielder DJ Wallace.

Venice broke the game open with six more runs in the fifth. Aikins led off with a triple, Avena, Wallace and Pascual singled, as did second baseman Mike Duarte. Designated hitter Kevin Maxey hit a sacrifice fly to right field, catcher Tim Kosman hit a sacrifice fly to center and Newman followed with a two-run home run to left field to make it 8-0.

The game ended before the full seven innings when Pascual singled with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning to score Aikins and Avena, giving Venice the win by way of the 10-run mercy rule.

It was the second RBI World Series MVP for Kelley, a freshman at Cal State San Bernardino, who earned the same award in 2009. On Sunday, his only blemish was a two-out single in the first inning to Harrisburg shortstop Tyler Sinkovitz.

Coached by James Bishop, Venice was the West Region champion and finished second in the West Pool during round robin play at the RBI World Series. Harrisburg, the Mid-Atlantic champion, had upset Caribbean Region champion Venezuela 6-5 in Saturday's semifinal round.

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 across the nation and approximately 200,000 children ages 5-18 participating. The Senior Division is for players ages 16-18.

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