The boys from Lake Mary, Florida walked it off against Chinese Taipei in extra innings to win the Little League World Series, 2-1, in thrilling fashion on Sunday night.
A Florida team was 0-8 in LLWS title games all-time, but Lake Mary had been fighting tooth and nail throughout this series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, facing four elimination games just to reach the final against the squad from Taoyuan, Taiwan – a squad that didn’t lose any of the five games they’ve played since hitting the States.
After Lathan Norton finished his 3.2 innings with a scare, as Taoyuan’s Hu Yen-Chun flew out to the warning track in the top of the eighth inning, he went to second base to begin the bottom of the eighth in a 1-1 game.
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Southeast Region celebrate after the game against Asia-Pacific Region at Lamade Stadium. (Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports)
The last hitter in Lake Mary’s lineup, Hunter Alexander, came up in a clear bunt scenario, where he was only thinking about moving Norton over to third base.
But Taoyuan, perhaps the team with the best fundamentals in the tournament, didn’t have someone covering first base when Alexander laid down his bunt to the right side.
The ball was thrown away, and Lake Mary celebrated immediately as Norton came around third base for the winning run.
Southeast Region pitcher Jacob Bibaud (12) reacts with infielder DeMarcos Mieses (25) against Asia-Pacific Region in the first inning at Lamade Stadium. (Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports)
However, despite just winning the whole thing, the Lake Mary squad was seen giving out hugs and pats on the back to their Taoyuan opponents, who were distraught about how everything ended. It was the definition of sportsmanship before it was time to hoist the trophy.
What made this victory for Lake Mary more impressive was the bottom of the sixth inning where they were down 1-0 despite having numerous runners on base throughout the game.
DJ Mieses hit an RBI double and Chase Anderson came flying around the bases to score, forcing extra innings. Mieses’ reaction said it all, as he was firing up his dugout and the crowd.
Lake Mary faced elimination twice in the semifinal on Saturday night against the Southwest Region representatives from Boerne, Texas, but their fourth and final elimination game ended with a 10-7 victory.
Southeast Region celebrate after the game against Asia-Pacific Region at Lamade Stadium. (Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports)
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These boys have been resilient, and they were rewarded with this once-in-a-lifetime victory that makes state history in the process.
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