World Series bound
An unidentified Hopwood Pony League player signals that the team is No. 1 as the players paraded through Hopwood Friday afternoon. The team begins play tonight in the Pony League World Series at Lew Hays Pony Field in Washington, Pa. Hopwood is the host area champion and faces West Tokyo, Japan in today’s nightcap, which is tentatively scheduled to begin about 8 p.m. The first game of the evening matches Puerto Rico and Brownsville, Texas. In addition to the scheduled games, there are several special events surrounding this year’s 55th annual event. The week kicks off with a Banquet of Champions at 10:30 this morning. The annual “Friends Game,” featuring handicapped children from the Pittsburgh area, will be held at 1 p.m. today. At 1 p.m. Sunday, the new PONY Baseball Softball International Headquarters adjacent to Falconi Field in Washington will be dedicated. A home run derby featuring two players from each World Series team will be held at 1:30 p.m. Monday at the Pony League field.