WILLIAMSPORT, Penn. – Lake Mary on Wednesday claimed victory over Wailuku, Hawaii by a score 4-3 at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
During Wednesday’s game, Lake Mary scored first on an RBI groundout by Garrett Rohozen in the top of the first inning.
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Even before the second inning was over, Lathan Norton drove in Luis Calo, and Hunter Alexander drove in Teraj Alexander, bringing the scoreboard to 3-0.
When Rohozen scored a solo home run, it cemented the team’s 4-0 lead. But Hawaii didn’t take it lying down.
[MEET THE TEAM: Lake Mary All-Stars at the Little League World Series]
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Hawaii managed to make a comeback to cut it 4-3, making this another nail biter for the Lake Mary All-Stars.
However, Calo came in on relief and kept Hawaii from scoring again, ensuring that Lake Mary took their fourth victory of the World Series.
Coach Jonathan Anderson praised Calo’s performance after the game.
“We put him in some tough spots, and he got out of it for us,” Anderson said. “This kid is the real deal. He’s the real, real deal.”
“Sweet Lou,” as he’s called, lets his play do the talking. Throughout the Little League World Series, Anderson has repeatedly called his reliever “cold-blooded.”
“I’m just thinking of when he came to Lake Mary Little League and people passed on him,” Anderson added. “They thought he was a football player, and he wouldn’t play a lot. Dude, he’s so good, man. He’s so good.”
When asked by News 6′s Justin Warmoth what’s been his favorite part about Williamsport, Calo responded, “Winning.”
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Last week, Lake Mary was off to a strong start, winning their first two games against Sioux Falls and Puyallup. However, the team was taken down by Texas on Monday night — the first loss of the season for Lake Mary.
The tournament is double elimination, meaning that teams can only lose twice before they’re out of the running. But after Tuesday’s conquest over New York and Wednesday’s win against Hawaii, the Lake Mary All-Stars are still in it to win it.
Next up, Lake Mary is set to play against Henderson, Nevada on Thursday at 7 p.m. If Lake Mary comes out on top, they’ll get a chance to take on Texas yet again in Saturday’s U.S. Championship.
Twenty teams are competing in the Little League World Series: 10 regional champions in the U.S. and 10 international champions from across the world.
U.S. teams:
- Great Lakes: Hinsdale Little League from Hinsdale, Illinois
- Metro: South Shore Little League from Staten Island, New York
- Mid-Atlantic: Council Rock Newtown Little League from Newtown, Pennsylvania
- Midwest: Sioux Falls Little League from Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Mountain: Paseo Verde Little League from Henderson, Nevada
- New England: Salem Little League from Salem, New Hampshire
- Northwest: South Hill Little League from Puyallup, Washington
- Southeast: Lake Mary Little League from Lake Mary, Florida
- Southwest: Boerne Little League from Boerne, Texas
- West: Central East Maui Little League from Wailuku, Hawaii
International teams:
- Asia-Pacific: Kuei-Shan Little League from Taoyuan City, Chinese Taipei
- Australia: - Hills Little League from Sydney, New South Wales
- Canada: Whalley Little League from Surrey, British Columbia
- Caribbean: Aruba Center Little League from Santa Cruz, Aruba
- Cuba: Santa Clara Little League from Villa Clara, Cuba
- Europe-Africa: South Czech Republic Little League from Brno, Czech Republic
- Japan: Johoku Little League from Tokyo, Japan
- Latin America: Cardenales Little League from Barquisimeto, Venezuela
- Mexico: Matamoros Little League from Tamaulipas, Mexico
- Puerto Rico: Radames Lopez Little League from Guayama, Puerto Rico