WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – The Lake Mary All-Stars' incredible run in the Little League World Series continued with a 10-7 win over Vaughn, Texas, in the U.S. championship game on Saturday.
Bone added one more run in the second inning on a wild pitch by JJ Feliciano to put the team ahead, then added another before Feliciano got Lake Mary out for the inning.
(Team introduction: Lake Mary All-Stars)
Bowen's Doc Mogford hit a two-run double in the third inning to extend the lead to 4-0, but Lake Mary never relinquished it.
Lake Mary, which had no hits through the third inning, scored on a single in the fourth inning, and then Feliciano scored the team's first run.
Lake Mary's DJ Mises hit a double in the top of the fifth and then scored on Liam Morrissey's RBI grounder to cut the lead to 4-2.
In the same inning, Teraj Alexander added a run with a double, making the score 4-3.
Lake Mary's Chris Chichodoroff hit a hard liner that hit the Texas pitcher off the leg, scoring Lake Mary to tie the game.
Then, after the Texas pitcher turned his back to the bat, Alexander stole home and scored to give Lake Mary a 5–4 lead.
“I did it on my own. I saw the catcher looking over the hill, toward right field, and as soon as the pitcher got the ball, he caught it and turned his back to me,” Alexander said after the game. “I just started running slowly, and when I thought I was 100 percent sure, I took off.”
Bone singled with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at 5–5, then Texas took the lead again at 6–5 on a wild pitch by Lake Mary's Luis Caro, and then another wild pitch allowed Bone's second runner to score to take the lead at 7–5.
In the top of the sixth, Lake Mary's Garrett Lohozen doubled to send Feliciano to third base. Texas then walked Landon Bono to load the bases for Florida. Jacob Bibeau singled to center field to add a run and make the score 7-6. Lake Mary then tied the game at 7-7 on a sacrifice fly by Liam Morrissey.
Caro also doubled in the top of the sixth, scoring two runs and putting Lake Mary ahead again, 9-7. Morrissey scrambled to steal third base and scored on an error by Bowen to make it 10-7.
In the bottom of the sixth, Caro struck out the first batter before Lake Mary got into a double play to end the game.
“It's magical,” Lake Mary coach Jonathan Anderson said after the game. “We've been preparing for this. We've been working for this. The kids knew this was our summer. We've been talking about the job isn't done. They're not going to give up. They're not going to stop.”
Lake Mary will face Chinese Taipei in the LLWS championship game on Sunday.
Anderson said the team knows what they have to do to win a world championship match.
“They know the job isn't done. They know. Trust me, they know. We didn't just come here to win. We came here to win this whole thing,” Anderson said.
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