JEFFERSON TWP — If you've ever had a case of jet lag, you can appreciate what the North Shore Star baseball team endured earlier this week to get to the Freeport International Baseball Invitational.

The squad, made up of players from Australia, left Sydney International Airport at 11 a.m. on Sunday and arrived in Pittsburgh a mere 38 hours later.

In between were three layovers, including one of 10½ hours in Los Angeles.

"We played cricket and football in the airports during the layovers," said Star coach Darren King.

Team members arrived at the homes of their host families in Freeport Monday night.

"They were very tired when they got in," said Freeport resident Marce Urbanski. She and her husband, Len, are hosting two of the team's players, second baseman Jay Andrews and pitcher James Goldring. "They haven't been at the house much, but they did have a little time to relax on our boat on the (Allegheny River)."

The team's first two games of the invitational ended in losses to American Legion teams from Conneaut (Ohio) and Bourbon County (Ky.), but adapting to the time change might have had something to do with that.

"That first game, we were dealing with jet lag and just trying to get the cobwebs out," said North Shore third baseman and pitcher Liam Castle. "But we want to leave here with a few wins. You don't come as far as we've come to lose."

North Shore picked up its first victory Wednesday with a 5-1 win over Saxonburg's Legion team at Laura Doerr Park.

The team will play Japan at 8 p.m. today at Highlands High School, Niagara Falls at 11 a.m. Friday and Freeport's Palomino team at 8 p.m. Friday, both at Swartz Field.

The Star is made up of players ages 15 to 18 who played for different teams in the Sydney area this past season.

The players' families had to come up with the $5,000 it cost for each one to make the trip.

"I heard that it's going to cost $40,000 to put on this tournament for a whole week," said King. "It cost us $80,000 as a team to come over and play."

For those players who were able to join the team, they are in for the trip of a lifetime.

Following the conclusion of the invitational on Saturday, the team will take in the Pirates-Astros game at PNC Park Sunday afternoon.

On Monday, North Shore will depart for the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., where it will use Tuesday for sightseeing and shopping at the various sports memorabilia stores.

The final highlights of the team's trip will take place in San Francisco, where they will watch the Giants take on the Braves (July 26) and the Marlins (July 27).

Finally, on July 29, the team will arrive back in Sydney.

"The trip to the Hall of Fame, that's going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a lot of these kids," said King. "I don't know if they realize right now what this trip is going to mean to them."

Team members will also get to see Peter Moylan, an Australian native who is now a relief pitcher for Atlanta.

"After the game, we're hoping to set something up where the players can meet him," said King.

And maybe, if he breaks out of his current batting slump, Barry Bonds will break Hank Aaron's home run record with the Australian team in attendance.

Most of the squad's members would love to see him do it, too.

"You've got to have incredible hand-eye coordination to be a great hitter," said outfielder David Harrison. "Just taking steroids, that's not going to make you a great player."

As King explained, baseball Down Under is popular, but not like it is in this country.

"Baseball in Australia is a big participation sport, but it's not a big spectator sport," he said. "A lot of people play it, but not many people watch it.

"But we've absolutely loved our time here so far," said King. "The kids are getting a bit of the small-town American lifestyle and it's something I believe they'll take with them."

<embed src="/assets/mov/BE23872720.MOV " width="320" height="250" autostart="true" loop="false" align="right"></embed>