Alex Rychwalski | If you build it they will come

Jun. 9—If it never hosts another baseball game, the old Allegany High School — site of future pros and state champions — had a fitting send-off.

Spectators and cars lined Sedgwick Street on Mother's Day to see Braddock and Washington, the top two teams in the Appalachian Middle School Baseball League, play a classic worthy of a championship.

Braddock (11-2) held a 3-1 edge entering the final frame thanks to a gem pitched by Kohen Madden, but Washington (11-2) prevailed, plating four runs with two outs to capture the league title.

Jake Rice's go-ahead two-run single was the difference.

Before that thriller, Hampshire defeated Frankfort, 2-1, in the West Virginia championship.

The crowd didn't just feature families. The game drew a large number of high school players, coaches from all levels, teachers and neighborhood baseball fans — all to witness a middle school baseball game.

With the county expected to sell the property in the near future, that may very well be the final game anyone sees at the site.

The setting was made possible by the effort of Braddock head coach Nathan Ramsey, who approached the county last year for permission to use the field and worked tirelessly to reclaim it from weeds and disrepair.

With Washington Middle School's field in a bad state, Ramsey offered coach Ben Brauer and Washington the opportunity to share old Allegany, putting rivalry aside in the interest of growing the game of baseball.

On more than one occasion, Brauer arrived at the field early in the morning to cut the grass, only to find that Ramsey had beaten him to it.

How appropriate then that the two squads would finish the regular season Nos. 1 and 2 in the standings and give us a glimpse at the future of Cumberland baseball, as we say goodbye to an old friend.

An old friend that was the site of countless legendary moments, such as the postseason pitchers' duel between future Major League Baseball players Aaron Laffey and Nick Adenhart.

The duo etched themselves into Western Maryland lore when Allegany beat Williamsport, 1-0, in a 53-minute, 33-strikeout exhibition on pitching the baseball despite getting no-hit.

Before that, the field was home to the only baseball state champions that have come out of Cumberland: Toby Eirich's Campers captured back-to-back Class 2A titles in 1989 and '90.

Yet, former players can tell you, the field on that middle school championship Sunday was as good as it's ever looked.

To quote Kevin Costner's Ray Kinsella, "If you build it they will come."

The hard work that went into that day goes much further than two teams and two coaches.

The league itself, in its second year, is a resounding success at a time when other baseball leagues like Hot Stove, Dapper Dan and PenMar are losing numbers — as are thousands of other leagues across this country.

In the case of the PenMar-WV baseball league, which exists in name only, there stands just one team remaining in the Oakland Oaks, managed by Craig Bosley for the 23rd year.

The Oaks will again compete in the Fayette County Baseball League.

In much of the state of Maryland, middle school sports are a thing of the past.

Travel baseball and showcase teams often have a monopoly on talent in the sport, and, speaking from personal experience, it's often the case that players hailing from the same neighborhood play together for the first time in high school.

That's why the Appalachian Middle School Baseball League — which consists of Braddock, Washington, Mountain Ridge, Northern and Southern in Maryland, and Keyser, Frankfort and Hampshire in West Virginia — is so important to the community.

Whether people realize it or not, the opportunity to play with your classmates and get more practice before high school, developing bonds and friendships in the process, is not a common one in today's day and age.

Credit also goes to the Tri-County Middle School Softball League, which has existed since 2012 and offered a blueprint for what was possible.

There is much negative press surrounding participation numbers in youth sports across the country, and the vision to create a new league and the execution to make it a success is commendable.

So too were the efforts that gave the old Allegany the swan song it deserved.

Those who have been around awhile often say that the golden age of area sports is behind us, and they're probably right, but as long as a few exceptional individuals continue to care, we'll be just fine.

Alex Rychwalski is a sports reporter at the Cumberland Times-News. Follow him on Twitter @arychwal.