SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) – The 70th Little League World Series championship game is set.
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They will be taking on International Champ South Korea on Sunday in the final game of the tournament.
Believe it. The Maine-Endwell 12A Little League team is the best in the world. Having knocked off a powerful Kentucky team that run-ruled two opponents, and then Tennessee twice, the New Yorkers brought the championship back to the United States for the first time since Huntington Beach, California won (also by the score of 2-1) back in 2011 over Japan. “So you never know what can happen with that pitch”.
“From there on, I pretty much knew we were going to go a long way”, infielder Jack Hopko told the Associated Press.
Maine-Endwell had trouble hitting Junho Jeong until the bottom of the 4th, when Jude Abbadessa dropped one in centerfield, followed by a Ryan Harlost double.
“I was just thinking get it in play any way you can”, Rush said. McWilliams’ blast halved New York’s lead, but Abbadessa struck out Carson Rucker to end the game. Endwell fans have made a habit of bellowing “Jude!” whenever he takes the mound or walks to the plate and Abbadessa is no stranger to big games. South Korea won 7-2.
“They have done more for New York State than the politicians have spending millions of millions of dollars”, 89-year-old John Bruce of Endwell said. Harlost raced home on a passed ball to give NY a 2-0 lead one batter later.
The only run that Harlost gave up came in the top of the fifth when Yoomin Lee hit a one-out home run to cut the lead to 2-1. Cho (1-0) has pitched five innings with no runs and no hits with 10 strikeouts and only one walk.
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Jon Luke Simmons broke up Mancini’s no-hit bid in the top of the fifth. And its been 52 years since the last time a NY team won the LLWS (Staten Island in 1964). “I’m really proud of my team”.
