– New York’s Maine-Endwell beat South Korea, 2-1, to win the Little League World Series on Sunday, becoming the first U.S. team to win the title since 2011 and the first team from NY to win since 1964. NY recorded all three of their hits in that decisive two-run fourth inning. Dundon drove in two runs, and Hopko and James Fellows each had an RBI for NY.
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The New York club entered Saturday’s final with a 3-0 record, which included a win against Tennessee in the tournament’s second round.
Will it be NY or South Korea that takes home all the glory from Williamsport on Sunday in the 2016 Little League World Series Championship? They become the first New York team to win the crown since 1964 when Staten Island knocked off Mexico in the Championship (New York also won in 1954 when Schenectady took home the crown).
“It’s just the best”. South Korean arms and flags waved furiously to his right.
The New York club did not have a runner reach base until the fourth inning, when infielder Jude Abbadessa laced a one-out single to center field. Teams from Tokyo won in 2015, 2013 and 2012 while South Korea took the 2014 championship. On a 1-1 count, M-E’s clean-up hitter just got a piece of the ball, sent a little blooper to a spot that if Seoul’s infield hadn’t been playing in would have an easy out. Instead, shortstop Jungtaek Ru raced back, but he could catch up to a ball that landed about a step into the outfield grass. Gael Isaac Cortez singled up the middle in the first inning for Mexico’s only hit. “Once that happens, you never know what can happen”. Hopko chased and missed, but catcher Jungseo Cho couldn’t grab it. And Harlost scored on a passed ball, giving NY a 2-0 cushion.
“We’ve played them so many times, we know what their strengths are and how many real top-flight pitchers they had”, Goodlettsville manager Joey Hale said.
Ryan Oden got the win, allowing only earned runs and striking out six while working in and out of trouble for four innings.
Jeong struck out nine and Harlost eight. Jaekyeong Kim homered with two on in the second, and Yoomin Lee came home on a wild pitch in the fourth.
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With two runners on in the top of the sixth inning, Harlost got Minho Choi to chase an 0-2 curveball well off the plate to end it.
