BANGOR, Maine — Jake Morrill sat in the Mansfield Stadium grandstands early Thursday evening, watching a baseball game and chatting with his buddies.
That less than two weeks earlier he was struck by a line drive so hard it nearly caved in his forehead was a distant memory, save for his ability to recollect what happened Aug. 9 as he and the Bangor East All-Stars played Glastonbury, Conn., during the New England Little League baseball championships at Bristol, Conn.
“I was playing first base and a kid hit a line drive,” said the 12-year-old first baseman of the fifth-inning incident. “It was hit really hard and rose a little bit, and before I could get my glove up it hit me right in the head.”
The line drive, hit to the opposite field by a righthanded batter, traveled the 60 feet from home plate to first base in an instant and struck Jake just above his left eye. But while initially noticing some ringing in his ears, he never lost consciousness as he lay on the ground for nearly a half-hour until being taken by ambulance to a local hospital.
One of the first people to check on Jake was his father, Scott, a member of the Bangor East coaching staff.
“When I was down my dad said it was so indented you could put a baseball in it,” said Jake of his forehead. “It didn’t hurt that much.”
Jake remained under observation in a Hartford hospital for two nights before being released to return home to Maine.
He subsequently underwent surgery at Eastern Maine Medical Center, with original plans calling for a titanium plate to be placed in his forehead.
But according to Wendy Morrill, Jake’s mother, his forehead had been so fragmented by the impact of the baseball that doctors opted to use what Jake described as “cement” to seal his forehead back together.
Today, the only sign of any surgery is the healing incision in his hairline.
No other surgery will be required, and the soon-to-be seventh-grader at the William S. Cohen School in Bangor is now anxious to start football season.
“He was cleared with no limitations on his activities when he walked out the [hospital] door,” said Wendy Morrill of her son. “All we’re waiting for to start football is for the incision to heal.”
Jake is scheduled to have the stitches out Monday.
“We’re just so grateful there was no brain damage,” said his mother.
Bad hop KO’s Casselman
Dylan Casselman’s experience at the Senior Little League World Series ended on an injurious note.
The Cornwall, Ontario, shortstop, who handled two popups and a grounder flawlessly through the first three-plus innings of Thursday’s 11-1 loss to Greenville, S.C., at Mansfield Stadium, wasn’t so fortunate on his next chance.
Greenville’s Nick Peter hit a sharp grounder toward Casselman with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, but a high final bounce resulted in Casselman taking the ball directly in the face.
Casselman went down near second base and play was stopped momentarily until he was assisted off the field by tournament trainer Lester Cowan.
A subsequent check revealed a fractured nose, and Casselman was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
He is expected to undergo surgery in Canada next week.
Local umps work semifinal
Two umpires from host Maine District 3 were part of the six-man crew that worked the U.S. West-Latin America SLWS semifinal between Fremont, Calif., and San Nicolas, Aruba, on Friday.
Robert Curtis worked the left-field line, while Troy Lare was on the right-field line during the contest, won by Fremont 7-6.
Both umpires already had worked in regional tournaments this summer, Curtis at the Senior League U.S. East regional in West Deptford, N.J., and Lare at the Little League Baseball East regional at Bristol, Conn.
Jersey woes continue
Michael Resnick has had difficulty keeping his shirt on when he pitches for the West University Little League of Houston, Texas, in this year’s Senior League World Series.
In his first start of the series against San Nicolas, Aruba, on Tuesday, he had to switch jerseys from No. 6 to No. 19 because as perspiration built up on his original shirt, the buttons would slip out of the buttonholes — eventually to the point where all the buttons came out and the loose jersey interfered with his pitching motion.
The same thing happened in his second start Friday during the semifinals against Makati City, Philippines, but a quick change to No. 19 again resolved the issue.
“I think when the shirt gets wet the holes just kind of open up and the buttons start coming out,” said Resnick, who pitched a five-hitter in his team’s 6-1 victory over the Asia Pacific champs. “I guess the jersey expands when it gets wet.”
The No. 6 jersey has special significance to Resnick, who wears the number in memory of a nephew, Matthew Resnick, who died at age 9 in an all-terrain vehicle accident two years ago.
“He was like my little brother,” said Resnick. “He wore No. 6 just like I did, so I’ve been carrying that on.”
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