Tallahassee, Fla., the Babe Ruth 13-year-old World Series champions from a year ago, bested Nederland, Texas, 4-2, Friday night to advance to the championship game of the 14-year-old World Series. The Southeast Regional champions play Norwalk, Conn., at 1 p.m. Saturday back at Adams Field in Quincy.

The 2008 Babe Ruth World Series is already half gone, but performances are about to ramp up as championship day nears.
 Two players who simply cannot be playing any better so far are Norwalk, Conn.’s Kevin Daniele and Palo Alto, Calif.’s B.J. Boyd. The pair are the only two players to hit home runs to go yard in the tournament and are the front-runners for the Most Outstanding Player award.

Youngstown, Ohio, defeated Palo Alto, Calif.,  by a 17-10 score to earn a place in the semifinals. They will face Norwalk, Conn., in a 5:30 p.m. semifinal today that will be a rematch of the tournament's opening game; Youngstown was a 4-3 winner.

The Quincy team in the Babe Ruth 14-year-old World Series lost, 13-0, to Palo Alto, Calif., on Wednesday night, ending their chances of capturing the championship. The game ended after 5 innings due to the mercy rule.

The Southwest Regional champions took advantage of errors with timely hitting en route to a 10-5 win over the Ohio Valley champs.  As a result, three teams with identical 3-1 records will advance from the National Division to the single-elimination rounds.  It made for some interesting and confusing situations.

Kevin Daniele once again plated the winning run for New England Regional champion Norwalk, Conn., in a 2-1, nine-inning victory over Nederland, Texas. Tuesday's result leaves both teams tied for second place in the National Division.

Almost two days after opening the Babe Ruth World Series with a loss, the New England champions broke through with a come-from-behind win over the state champions from Cambridge.

Youngstown, Ohio’s Andre Jones played outstanding on the mound and at the plate in his team’s 4-1 victory over Skagit Valley, Wash.  He tossed six innings of three-hit ball and drove in three runs to help the Ohio Valley Regional champions improve to 3-0 in round-robin pool play.

Cambridge, the Eastern Massachusetts champions, fell short in its second game of the tournament against perennial power Youngstown, Ohio.

After squeaking out a 4-3 victory Saturday night against Cambridge, the Texas squad became the dominating team they were in the state and regional tournaments, beating Skagit Valley, Wash., 10-1, Sunday at Adams Field.

Nederland (Texas) blew away the competition en route to the 2008 Babe Ruth World Series.  That domination ended Saturday night, though their winning ways did not, besting Cambridge, Mass., 4-3, in a grinding come-from-behind victory.

With the bases loaded and none out in the final inning, Norwalk, Conn. looked as though they were going to steal an opening game victory from the Ohio Valley Champions, but only scored one of the two runs they needed to tie the game.  

Players from the 2003 Playmouth team became the backbone of strong athletics teams at Plymouth North and Plymouth South. Many are competing athletically in college.

Dennis Sullivan, 14, has cystic fibrosis and will compete in the Babe Ruth World Series in Quincy this week.

As the excitement of the 2008 Babe Ruth World Series draws nearer, it is a good time to reflect on what made the tournament’s last two trips here so special. Not only did it bring people from around the nation and world to the City of Presidents and provide a boost to the local economy, but it brought with it several other noteworthy storylines.

For the third time in six years, Quincy will be hosting the Babe Ruth World Series tournament for 14-year-olds, and with all the culture and history this area offers, it wouldn’t be happening without Adams Field, the glistening jewel of the city’s recreational facilities.

 With its big league-level dimensions, comfortable seating and proximity to downtown Quincy, Adams Field is one of the prime reasons the national tourney loves to come here.