EL SEGUNDO, Calif.—The all-star team from El Segundo on Aug. 25 will prepare for the U.S. championship game of the Little League World Series on Aug. 26 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania where it will face the Needville Little League all-star team from Texas in a rematch with the team that knocked El Segundo into the elimination bracket.
El Segundo lost to Needville, 3-1, on Aug. 21, relegating it to the elimination bracket. But El Segundo won three games in three days to reach the U.S. championship game, including a 2-1 victory over the Northeast Seattle Little League all-star team on Aug. 24.
Needville has won 14 consecutive games, including a 1-0 victory over Northeast Seattle on Aug. 23 to advance to the U.S. championship game, and is 20-1 in five tournaments this summer.
Needville lost to the all-star team from the Hallettsville Little League in its second game in the Texas East Section 4 tournament 4-3, then defeated the all-star team from the Sweeny Little League, 6-2, and Hallettsville, 19-0, in a game called after three innings because of the run rule, which requires the manager of a team a trailing by at least 15 runs through three innings to concede the victory to the opponent.
Needville then defeated Hallettsville, 1-0, to win the tournament.
El Segundo is 18-2 in five tournaments. Its other loss was to the all-star team from the Sherman Oaks Little League, 4-3, in the opening game of the championship series of the Southern California State Tournament July 31. It won the rematch, 3-2, later that day.
This will be the first time since 1994 a Los Angeles County team has played in the U.S. championship game. The all-star team from the Northridge Little League won the 1994 U.S. championship with a team including future University of Southern California and National Football League quarterback Matt Cassel.
The U.S. champion will face the winner of Saturday’s international championship between teams from Taoyuan, Taiwan and Willemstad, Curacao, for the world championship on Aug. 27. The losers of the U.S. and international championship games will play in the third-place game Sunday.
Los Angeles County teams have won the Little League World Series three times. The all-star team from the Granada Hills National Little League won in 1963 and teams from the Long Beach Little League won in 1992 and 1993.
On Thursday, El Segundo scored in each of the first two innings, then held on for the victory as Northeast Seattle loaded the bases in the sixth and final inning.
Northeast Seattle’s comeback hopes remained alive when Owen Luke reached first on a dropped third strike that was ruled a wild pitch. On the next pitch, Larson Eng, Northeast Seattle’s cleanup hitter, hit a grounder to Louis Lappe, the El Segundo shortstop, who dropped the ball, picked it up, and tossed it to Colby Lee who stepped on second for the force out to end the game.
Declan McRoberts limited Northeast Seattle to one run over the first four innings and singled in El Segundo’s first run, and Brody Brooks pitched two hitless innings for the save.
McRoberts singled in Jaxon Kalish, who singled, with two outs in the top of the first at Howard J. Lamade Stadium.
El Segundo combined Quinn Boehle’s single, a passed ball, wild pitch, and Finley Green’s one-out single for a run in the second.
Northeast Seattle scored its lone run in the fourth. Nolan Chang hit a one-out double and scored on a single by the next batter, Trey Kirchoff.
McRoberts allowed one run and six hits in four innings, struck out five, and walked one and was credited with the victory. Brooks pitched two hitless innings, struck out three and walked one.
Trey Kirchoff pitched a complete game for Northeast Seattle, allowing eight hits, two runs, one earned, struck out four, and walked one in five innings.
Brooks had two hits as El Segundo out-hit Northeast Seattle 8-6.
