U.S. GETS A STOMACH ACHE; SIMI SOPH MISSES HALF OF TAIWAN TOURNAMENT WITH ILLNESS.

Byline: Rizza Yap Daily News Staff Writer

Maybe it was the lobster.

Four innings into team USA's second game in the 16-and-under Junior Olympics in Taiwan, pitcher Jesse Kozlowski suffered a stomach ailment and remained sick for the rest of the tournament. In all, he played in just four of USA's eight games, pitching in only one. The team eventually finished in fifth place.

Kozlowski, who confessed to eating a lot of lobster during the trip, said the food probably did him in.

``I still wanted to encourage my teammates, but I was kind of mad that I didn't get to help them out (on the field),'' said the Simi Valley High sophomore-to-be. ``I didn't expect (to be sick). It was disappointing.''

Still, the experience was tremendous for the 15-year-old.

As part of the first 16-and-under U.S. Junior Olympic team, Kozlowski got to play baseball in a foreign country for the first time and competed against international teams for the first time.

Off the field, he encountered some friendly people, sampled the food - which was good but sometimes ``kind of risky'' - and got acquainted with a different culture.

The most memorable part of the trip, however, was the chance to represent his country.

``The first game, being able to wear that USA jersey on the field was just extraordinary,'' Kozlowski said. ``That was pretty much the best thing that happened to me.''

With the Ukraine team absent, 11 teams participated in the nine-day tourney, which ended July 20. USA settled for fifth place when it lost its first game in the medal rounds to Cuba, which later won the gold.

``We kind of got screwed playing Cuba in the first round,'' Kozlowski said. ``But that's just how it worked out.''

Unforgettable experiences didn't stop in Taiwan for Kozlowski.

Less than two weeks after struggling with a stomach ache at the Junior Olympics, he found himself in another jam - this time in Tennessee with four of his Monterey Park Angels teammates against the entire team from East Cobb, Ga. plus a few parents.

Kozlowski said the fight sparked when Georgia players ``started talking a little bit of smack'' when the two teams were sent to the locker room together after a rain delay.

The game was postponed in the sixth inning, with the Angels up 9-8. A loss would oust Georgia from the tournament.

Nothing beyond words were exchanged in the locker room, but on the way to the parking lot, ``They kind of jumped us.''

``It was bad - they were kicking and punching, and they outnumbered us 5 to 1,'' Kozlowski said. ``Their parents got involved, too. (At the end), everybody just kind of froze up. It's like they realized what was going on. They just stopped and took off and left us there, checking our wounds.''

Kozlowski walked away from the scene of the fight - an extremely muddy, grassy hill outside the Georgia dugout - with a bruised nose, finger and back. He was fine the next day, but the fight resulted in a double disqualification. The Angels, previously 5-0, were forced to forfeit their next two games, which cost them the tournament.

Kozlowski's Junior Olympic teammate Kevin Howard was playing in North Carolina at the time of the brawl, but word did get around to him.

``I knew it was Jesse's team, too, because he told me in (Taiwan) that he played with Monterey Park,'' Howard said.

For Howard, an upcoming Westlake High junior, Taiwan was a good experience in adjustment.

The 16-year-old shortstop for the West Coast Yankees travel team played well defensively but felt he came up short on offense. Even with a home run, he left Taiwan with a .250 batting average - compared to .450 in an earlier tournament in Florida and .470 just last week in North Carolina.

Howard said playing on an all-dirt infield in ``really, really hot, humid and sticky'' weather may have affected his game. Even the week and a half of hard training in Florida didn't prepare him for Taiwan.

``I thought it would, because Florida's pretty hot and humid,'' Howard said. ``But really, it didn't.''

Unlike Kozlowski, Howard wasn't too adventurous with food, but he did make a couple of treks to the night markets and toured the city with his mom and grandfather. Getting around wasn't a problem, he said, thanks to the team interpreter, who wrote cards that helped them communicate with the people.

``From the hotel, we had a card that said where the night market was at, and we gave it to the (cab driver),'' Howard said. ``When we got there, he pointed at the meter, and we paid him the amount.''

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PHOTO Jesse Kozlowski, a sophomore at Simi Valley this year, played on the USA 16-under team and is among the top pitchers in the area.

Tom Mendoza / Daily News