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Head, shoulders above the pack

By TIMES WIRES
Published August 21, 2006

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - Aaron Durley towers over the competition at the Little League World Series.

The 13-year-old first baseman for Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, stands 6 feet, 8 inches and weighs 256 pounds.

At the secluded dorms where teams stay during the tournament, Durley has become as much of an attraction as the pool, pingpong table and video arcade.

The soft-spoken Durley doesn't mind the attention. He even lets opponents snap pictures with him during down time.

But Durley, who played at the series last year, too - when he was a mere 6-4 - is crystal-clear about his top priority.

"I'm more confident this year, ready to do what I need to do," Durley said. "Hit the ball out."

Durley, batting fifth, didn't hit a homer, but he walked twice, singled and scored Sunday, and third baseman Andrew Holden hit a three-run homer as the Arabian American squad from Dhahran defeated Saipan 9-1. Saudi Arabia (2-0) stands a good chance of advancing out of pool play after failing to win a game last year.

Illinois player beaned

Lemont, Ill., outfielder Austin Mastela was hospitalized after being beaned during the second inning.

Mastela, 12, was struck on the earhole by a pitch from Staten Island's Joe Calabrese. Mastela winced as he stumbled to the ground. He rubbed the side of his head, and trainers examined the back of his neck.

After being replaced by a pinch-runner, Mastela sat on the bench and leaned his head onto an ice pack. He was taken to Williams-port Hospital about 15 minutes later for further evaluation, a Little League official said.

Calabrese walked off the mound to check on Mastela, then was patted on the back by teammates as he returned to his position.

Lemont won the game 1-0.

GEORGIA ADVANCES: Kyle Carter's home run and pitching, including nine strikeouts, sparked Columbus Northern, Ga., to a 4-1 victory over West Phoenix, Ariz.

Georgia's 17th consecutive win earned it a spot in the semifinals Wednesday or Thursday night. Seedings will be determined after its third game in pool play, Tuesday night against Lemont (Ill.).

"We've seen some better performances from (Kyle), but, by the same token, he dominated like we're used to," said Chuck Rossi, who with his two sons were among 50 Columbus supporters who traveled the 800 miles to watch the weekend games.

They cheered their team to an extra-inning victory Saturday against Staten Island that the 12-year-old Kyle won as the closer. Sunday afternoon, they headed southward with optimism.

"Kyle sets the tone for the team," Rossi said about Kyle's third-inning home run, a curveball drilled 268 feet that landed among the outfield spectators.

MISSOURI 14, NEW HAMPSHIRE 5: Beau Burkett scored three, Landon Clapp had three RBIs and Columbia (1-1) rallied from a 2-0 deficit. Portsmouth made seven errors.

OREGON 9, LOUISIANA 1: Jace Fry led off the bottom of the first with a deep homer to right, Derek Keller hit a three-run blast and Devon Dejardin pitched a three-hitter as Beaverton (1-1) controlled the game.

MEXICO 11, MOSCOW 1: Jose Segoviano went 3-for-4 with four RBIs, and Josue Barron allowed two hits and struck out 12 for Mexico Matamoros (2-0) in a game shortened to five innings by the 10-run mercy rule.

[Last modified August 21, 2006, 02:00:30]