FREEPORT — When you're playing in an international tournament, nothing beats feeling right at home.

For Freeport teams taking part in the Freeport International Baseball Invitational, the event has become a part of their lives.

"A lot of these kids have come here for years," said Freeport Colt manager Gary Fennell. "To play in these games is big for them. They've been running around in the stands since they were 7 or 8 years old.

"This means a lifetime to them," Fennell added.

It doesn't matter that the Freeport Colt team was no-hit in a 5-1 loss to Mongoose (Ky.) Tuesday with an 11-strikeout performance by Mike Cramer at Swartz Field.

What matters most here is just playing, and area players get the enjoyment of a friendly tournament with an international flavor.

Ernie Sipolino of Leechburg, who coaches the Freeport Palomino squad, considers himself fortunate to have a hand in the invitational.

"To be a part of this, as the host team, is extremely honorable," said Sipolino. "Since the five-to-six years I've been here, our Palomino team is not pulled from different areas.

"These are all Freeport kids except for my son (Austin). On the one hand, you want to keep it all Freeport kids, but in order to compete in other tournaments, you get the best players you can ... but this tournament makes it special," Sipolino added.

"It feels good," said Jason Hinchberger, 20, of Sarver. "I remember when I was younger and I'd watch the night games. It feels nice to be a part of it.

"It's nice to meet new people. When you played at school, you'd face some teams two times a year. Now, you're playing teams from Canada and Japan," he added.

Hinchberger's teammate on the Palomino team, Alan-Michael Wisniewski, agreed.

"It's definitely something to do in town," said Wisniewski, 18, of Sarver. "It's great to play baseball against different teams."

Wisniewski is getting a chance to not only play against teams like Japan, but play for them.

The team from Japan had just five players so Wisniewski was one of nine other players that helped fill out the lineup.

With Tuesday evening's game against the Burlington (Canada) Blues fast approaching, Wisniewski enjoyed some time relaxing on the bench, having played earlier in Japan's 2 p.m. game against the Niagara Falcons at Swartz Field.

"You get a chance to play different positions," said Wisniewski. "The bad news for me is they had one kid play shortstop so I played second base and pitched.

"It was something different," noted Wisniewski.

"It's definitely a thrill to play against kids from another country, let alone another state," said Austin Sipolino, 18.

"I went to Australia last year with our team. This is why you play in this tournament. It's well-organized and definitely has big crowds, especially night crowds," he explained.

And, according to Fennell, the atmosphere is just right.

"It is a teaching tool for kids," said Fennell. "It's nice to have the kids play kids from other areas, from different cultures.

"The pressure's off. They're just here to play the games and have fun like sandlot baseball," Fennell added.

"This is an international tournament," said Sipolino. "These kids cherish it. After this year, they're all talking about coming back and playing again."