They’re the first US team to win the title since 2011 and the first from NY since 1964, when Staten Island won the tournament. Starters Ryan Harlost and Jonho Jeong traded zeroes until the fourth inning, when third baseman Conner Rush blooped a run-scoring single to shallow left field. One batter later, Harlost scored on the passed ball to put the US team up 2-0.
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ENDWELL, N.Y. (AP) Thousands of supporters welcomed the new Little League World Series champions home to the Binghamton area.
Jeong finished the game with just those runs allowed and three hits in four innings to go with nine strikeouts. He also singled during the decisive fourth inning, in which Maine-Endwell scored both runs to break a scoreless tie.
But things got dicey in the top of the fifth when Yoomin Lee lined a pinch-hit solo homer, cutting New York’s lead to 2-1. Harlost pitched the complete game, striking out the final batter with an outside pitch before the team threw up gloves in celebration on the first-base side. South Korea knocked off Aguadulce, Panama in the International Championship Game on Saturday, 7-2.
The two teams facing off for a Little League World Series Championship will be United States victor Endwell, New York versus worldwide victor Seoul, South Korea. After Jaekyeong Kim popped out to the third baseman, Sangheon Park drew a walk to put the tying run on second base, although he never got to score, as Minho Choi struck out swinging for the final out of the game. The last team from New York to capture the Little League World Series crown was the Mid-Island Little League from Staten Island, New York, in 1964. Abbadessa broke up the righty’s no-hit bid with a single to center.
“The Mid-Atlantic team is a really good defensive team”, South Korean manager Heesu Ji said. “I’m really proud of my team”.
The other NY team to win the Little League championship was Schenectady in 1954.
ABC will air the 2016 Little League World Series Championship Game at promptly 3:00 PM ET on Sunday.
“It was all of our last years of Little League”, Rush said.
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NY justly won the tournament and now have bragging rights for a year.
