Freeport International Tournament Players Crafted Lifetime Friendships
The Armstrong River Hawks haven’t begun baseball season yet for Armstrong Junior-Senior High, but they were showing off their blue and orange during the Freeport International Baseball Invitational last week when they played teams from across western Pennsylvania and the world.
by Jonathan Weaver
Before the Freeport International Baseball Invitational wrapped up Saturday, the new Armstrong River Hawks team had a few more games to play against international teams.
Friday, that included games against Puerto Rico and a team encompassing players from Japan, Australia and other parts of the United States.
The two games were played at Don Mains Baseball Field, the previous home of the Ford City Sabers teams.
With the latter game against Tri-Con (tri-country) in camouflage jerseys and the River Hawks in blue, winning wasn’t the objective, River Hawks Head Coach Ed Morris said, but simply to enjoy the experience and show how much they loved the game.
“We didn’t even look at the scoreboard in this game - we just wanted to have fun, get some guys some experience doing some different things,” Coach Morris said. “We weren’t matching up well age-wise – we had some young guys going against some older guys, which in that situation, you’re out-manned.”
That includes a trio of stars on the Tri-Con team.
John Penshon, was 18 years old and from Azle, Texas. He pitched three innings and manned left field Friday for a team he didn’t even meet until July 20.
This was his first year at the Freeport Invitational.
“They’re all great- it’s great meeting different people from all over the world and playing with them. We’ve all become great friends,” Penshon said.
Also on the pitching side was Nick Leahy, 21 of Sydney, Australia.
Leahy was the closer for Tri-Con, pitching knuckleballs to the last three River Hawks.
Leahy plays club ball in Australia – which he described as a style similar to high school or collegiate teams here in the United States, but that only play on the weekends. He is also going to be a junior at the Australian College of Physical Education, staying with a family in Freeport during the past three weeks.
“We actually play year-round because it doesn’t snow in mainland Australia,” Leahy said. “That’s why my arm’s really sore.”
It was his fifth Freeport invitational.
“You build bonds in these sort-of things – these are people I never would have met if I didn’t come over here to play baseball,” Leahy said. “You make bonds and lifelong friends.”
Cody Kacker, also of Sydney, works full-time in landscape construction, but couldn’t resist the urge to come back to the week-long experience for his third invitational.
He also has been in St. Louis for a similar tournament.
“I started it young, have loved it ever since and just kept playing it,” Kacker said.
Kacker was Friday’s first basemen.
“I (didn’t) find this as competition-based, but mainly for the love of the game – a whole bunch of people come together to play baseball, have fun,” Kacker said.
Both leave today and will arrive home Wednesday. (Leahy actually has practice Wednesday night before a playoff game Sunday.)
Dawson Porter, of Kittanning, was the River Hawks’ starting shortstop and will be a sophomore at Armstrong Junior Senior High in September.
He got a hit in his first plate appearance Friday evening, scoring a run from second.
“It didn’t mean anything, but we still wanted to have fun, play hard,” Porter said.
It was also practice for Porter since the local Legion team played Saturday during the regional tournament in Homer City.
Paul Cypher is 14 from Kittanning and will enter high school this fall. He hopes to make the junior varsity team as a center fielder.
The starting pitcher Friday evening, Cypher said Tri-Con fielded more difficult athletes than he’s used to.
“I can learn a lot by being hit off a lot of older kids, learning what they’re doing,” Cypher said.
Besides Porter and Cypher, Morris – who coached the international tournament team beginning in 1999 - had an “army” of players from Ford City and Kittanning Friday, with about 20 making an appearance in the second game.
“We had quite a variety in there, lot of young guys got in there,” Morris said. “We had anywhere from 12 (years old) to 18 (years old) in there. Everybody had some fun.
“These are the things they’ll remember the rest of their lives – even though they’re not getting as many innings, they’re getting a memory they can take with them and tell stories. A couple of guys showed up that played for me before and they still remember”
For those that might have been keeping score silently, though, the River Hawks lost both seven-inning games Friday – including to Tri-Con 11-4.
At 8PM Saturday, there was also a USA versus World game at Freeport’s James Swartz Field after the Parade of Champions – where players from the Junior International Tournament were introduced on the field.
Teams from both the United States and around the world participated in the week-long tournament, including not only teams from Kittanning/Ford City, Mercyhurst and Kiski, but Puerto Rico, Australia and Japan.
Local News, Local Sports | jweaver July 27, 2015
