STEVENS POINT, Wis. — Costly defensive miscues proved fatal for the Norwood American Legion baseball team on the national stage, as five errors paved the way for a 4-0 shutout loss to Cincinnati, eliminating Norwood from the American Legion World Series.

Norwood starting pitcher Jim McCready delivered a stellar performance on the mound, holding Budde Post to just four hits while striking out six batters. However, the defense failed to back up the right-hander. Cincinnati capitalized in the third inning when three Norwood errors led to two unearned runs, fueled by a missed catch at first base, a throwing error on a stolen base attempt, and a botched putout. Cincinnati added two more insurance runs in the seventh inning aided by two additional miscues.

“We outhit them and we didn’t win. We made six errors that killed us,” lamented Norwood Coach Pete Wall. “What are you going to do. We’re the best but we kicked the ball around and that killed us. Well, anyways, we had a good year.”

Missed Opportunities on Offense

Cincinnati pitcher Jamie Birkofer scattered four hits and struck out three, neutralizing Norwood’s offensive threats. The Cincinnati defense also came up big, turning a crucial 4-6-3 double play in the seventh inning after Jim Delbou singled and Bob Baxter followed with a base hit, extinguishing Norwood’s best scoring opportunity of the afternoon following an earlier sixth-inning bid. Despite concluding their historic run—which included capturing a record three straight state titles—with a frustrating loss, the squad returned home proud of an exceptional season.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger

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