By Jean DePlacido
Correspondent

Baseball is the undisputed king of sports in the Dominican Republic. With many high profile major league players — including Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez from the world champion Boston Red Sox — hailing from that country, baseball is often referred to as the country's unofficial religion.

Still, when 18 members of the Lady Spirit women's baseball team recently made a goodwill tour to that country to play the Dominican National team, nobody on the squad was prepared for the overwhelming support they received everywhere they went.

How the baseball-crazed country would respond to the women's game was answered early on. The first clue that this trip was going to be anything but ordinary came when their American Airlines flight touched down in Santa Domingo. Politicians, television crews and reporters were on hand to greet the American women.

"In my 49 years of coaching, this was the most awesome trip I've ever taken," said Lady Spirit head coach Ken Perrone. "We had close to 4,000 people at one game, and 3,000 came out to see another. That was incredible compared the number of fans we get at Fraser Field (in Lynn, the Lady Spirit's home field).

"The Dominicans treat it like an American football game. There was Spanish music playing and people dancing in the stands. Before the fourth inning at one game, a drum and bugle corps came onto the field to perform, much like a band would do at halftime of a football game."

Lady Spirit owners Nick Lopardo and Al Melanson put the team up at the Occidental Grand Flamenco Resort in Porta Plata, where they also played a game in the local stadium.

The Lady Spirit won all four games they played, but the Dominicans came close to pulling off a couple of victories. Often, a three-hour bus ride was needed across mountainous roads to get to games, but the women also had plenty of time to sightseeing.

In the first of two contests in the city of Bonoa, the Lady Spirit posted a thrilling 8-7 victory. Emily Hunt had two hits, including a long double, and pitched two innings of relief to get the save. The Dominican team had runners on second and third in the last inning with nobody out when first baseman Karen Masiello turned a double play to end the threat.

In the second game, also in Bonoa, Katherine Hanna and Jen Pantalone split the mound duties in a 12-4 win. Naomi Herlick and Christine Burrill lead the offense with two hits apiece.

Then there was another close game won by the Lady Spirit in Game 3, 6-5, in Porta Plata. Cheryl Milligan had a clutch 2-run double and also starred on the mound. Once again, the Dominicans had two runners in scoring position in the final inning with no outs when Hanna came on in relief to shut the door.

The Lady Spirit trailed, 5-2, heading into the sixth inning, but scored five runs in each of the final two frames to rally for a 12-5 win in Lavega in the fourth and final game. Hanna hurled five scoreless innings, striking out eight and surrendering two hits.

But baseball wasn't the only thing. The biggest part of the trip was bringing gifts for the fans and children in the school the team visited. Hats, Lady Spirit and USA T-shirts, baseballs, miniature helmets, shoes, catcher's gear and bats were all given away to the Dominicans.

"We had all these things going through customs and dragging around to the various cities," said Perrone. "But what made it all worthwhile was how appreciative they were. The people there don't have much, but they are so friendly and welcomed us with open arms.

"Of course, being from Boston helped. They told us the night the Red Sox clinched the World Series they were all out in the streets dancing and partying all night long."

For Beverly High teacher Megan Sudak, an outfielder on the team, the highlight was going to an elementary school and seeing the children.

"The whole trip was one of the greatest experiences of my life," said Sudak, who videotaped the trip to share with her students. "We gave away so much stuff. It was heartbreaking to see the lack of resources they have in the schools. It's a whole different world, but they're trying to do the best they can.

"I'll never forget one little boy who came up to me after a game to ask for my autograph. He gave me the biggest hug, and I started crying, I was so moved."

Although most of the people in the towns packed the stadiums to see the Americans and treated the players like rock stars, the fields were not maintained the way they are around here.

"We played at one park where David Ortiz and (Red Sox shortstop) Orlando Cabrera used to play that made Fraser Field look like Fenway Park," said Sudak, who was a two-sport captain at Beverly High and is now the JV softball coach there.

"After every game, we all went out to dinner together and exchanged gifts before we left. I made friends I'll continue to converse with through e-mail. It was very encouraging to see how much the people care about women's baseball. Hopefully, they'll come here to play us next summer."