MONTICELLO, Ark. — The dream is over, but for the NK 16s and coach Brent Stenman the memories will remain.

After winning its first four games of the Babe Ruth World Series tournament, North ran into a Newark, Ohio offensive juggernaut in a 14-7 season-ending loss Thursday.

“If you had told me at the beginning of the season we would go 4-1 in the World Series, I would have done flips,” Stenman said Friday morning.

Newark, which entered the game on a two-game losing streak, jumped out to an 11-0 lead through five innings thanks to three lead-off home runs and a throwing error by the NK 16 team.

However, the undefeated NK 16s responded with a seven-run inning, including a grand slam by Reuben Smith as it used seven hits to score seven runs aided by two Newark errors.

Newark responded with three runs of its own in the top of the seventh to dash any hopes of a North rally, sending the NK 16s home with a 4-1 record in the tournament.

The loss sums up the team’s entire season, because NK’s players have constantly battled adversity and never given up, Stenman said.

“We went down 11-0 we could have easily folded up the tents and lost 20-0, but we battled back and gave it all we had,” he said.

After finding ways to come from behind in two of its four wins in pool play, the NK 16s simply didn’t get the bounces they had earlier in the tournament, he said.

“We hit balls hard, but they were right at people and they had some seeing-eye ground balls that made it through the infield,” he said. “It just wasn’t our day.”

North’s pitching staff, which had consistently kept the team in games, was simply battered by the Newark squad, he said.

“They hit off of everyone we threw up there, and it was just a bad time for it to happen to us,” he said.

Despite the way the season ended, Stenman said it was an enjoyable experience for his players.

“It’s been a great group of kids and like I told them it’s a once-in-a-lifetime or never-in-a-lifetime experience,” Stenman said.

North Kitsap 16s 7

— Monticello, Ark. 5

Going into the final game of pool play Wednesday against the hometown nine, Stenman knew the challenge his team faced.

After Syracuse, N.Y. shutout Nederland, Texas, to go undefeated in pool play, the NK 16s pitching staff could only allow one run if North were to earn the No. 1 seed in championship play.

However, those hopes ended in the first inning as Monticello scored two runs to hand North the No. 2 seed in championship play.

Monticello added single runs in the second and third innings, but North rallied to tie the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the third.

The hometown nine tacked on a single run in the top of the fifth inning before the NK 16s stormed back with a four-run sixth inning to finish undefeated in pool play with a 7-5 win.

“After giving up two runs the kids went flat, but we stressed the need to play for pride,” Stenman said.

Instead of going into championship play with a loss, Stenman said it was important for the team to keep its momentum going and stay on a positive note.