Oh, this is too amazing to put into words. Two minutes. Okay. Okay. Spencer's Corey Pond. Brian is used to calling strikes behind the plate, not from the mound at Polar Park in front of family friend and guardian angel Jennifer La Fina. If she hadn't been there, I wouldn't be here talking to you. Three weeks ago, the dear umpire was calling balls and strikes in the District 5 Jimmy Fan semifinals. Oxford was playing Algonquin and Jennifer's son Grayson, and Grayson was on the mound in the second inning. A foul ball hit Corey in the neck and then hit me in the throat. I had been hurt before the next season on the same field when I was hit in the exact same spot, but I wasn't using my throw guard that time. So the ball hit me right in the face. And this time, I was using my throw guard this time. This was truly a freak accident. Jennifer, an oncologist at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Health Cancer Center, was closely watching the umpire from the stands. After a few innings, noticing the worsening condition, she and her medical assistant finally decided to step in. Jennifer pulled me over and said, “You're showing a lot of worrying signs. You're staggering, you're walking, you're walking a little bit oddly. So I want you to leave the field. We're getting him ready to be transported to the hospital. He's lost consciousness.” With the help of others nearby, Jennifer immediately began CPR and other life-saving measures and was able to restore Corey's breathing. By the time the ambulance arrived, we train to stay calm in tense situations. When this happens, we go to a different place and there's just a “job to be done.” Corey woke up two days later at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center with a swollen neck. After 11 days he was finally released from the hospital and Jennifer came to visit him. She is my guardian angel. Corey showed us his new tattoo. He put his wings on Dr. JL's guardian angel at the baseball game on Tuesday morning. This is my family. Now I plan to be family until my last breath.
Lake Mary, Florida, wins Little League World Series with a walk-off win
Updated: August 25, 2024 6:16pm CDT
Lake Mary, Florida, defeated Taiwan, 2-1 in the eighth inning on Sunday to claim the Little League World Series championship, leading the team to 1-0 from the first inning until Florida's final at-bat. Representing the Southeast, Florida beat Taiwan three straight times, putting a runner on third in the third but failing to score. Video above: Little League umpire thanks mother for saving player's lifeThen, in the bottom of the sixth, Florida put runners on first and second and DeMarcos Mises pitched well despite striking out in two consecutive at-bats. His hit into a shallow gap in left gave Chase Anderson enough time to sprint home to tie the game. In the eighth inning, Lathan was placed on second base at the top of the inning. Hunter Alexander bunted and the throw to first went to the outfield. Taiwan started the game by drawing two consecutive walks. After a bunt advanced a runner and resulted in a pop out, Hu Yen-Chun hit a ball toward third base that bounced off James Feliciano. Chiu Wei-Che scored easily. It was Florida's ninth championship, but they came from behind to beat Texas 10-7 in the semifinals on Saturday, scoring five runs in their final at-bat. Taiwan dominated the LLWS from their first title in 1969 to their 17th in 1996. But until Sunday, they had only made it to the finals once since losing to California in 2009. Lee Chen-Ta managed both that team and this year's Taoyuan club, Keishan Little League. Last season, he led the same team (with a completely different lineup) to a third-place finish.
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, PA —
Lake Mary, Florida, defeated Taiwan, 2-1, in the eighth inning on a throw to first base that allowed Lathan Norton to score from second base to win the Little League World Series on Sunday.
Taiwan held a 1-0 lead from the first inning until Florida's final at-bat. The team representing the Southeast outhit Taiwan three straight times, putting a runner on third base but failing to score.
Video above: Little League umpire thanks mother for saving player's life
Then in the bottom of the sixth, with runners on first and second, DeMarcos Mises, who had struck out in his previous two at-bats, stepped up to the plate and hit a ball into the shallow gap in left field, giving Chase Anderson enough time to score and tie the game.
In the eighth inning, Lathan was placed on second base to begin the inning when Hunter Alexander bunted and the throw to first flew into the outfield.
Taiwan walked two batters in a row in the early stages of the game, and after a bunt advanced a runner and resulted in a pop out, Hu Yen-Chun hit a ball toward third base that bounced off James Feliciano's body and allowed Chiu Wei-Che to score easily.
It's Florida's ninth championship, but they came from behind to beat Texas 10-7 in Saturday's semifinals, scoring five runs in their final at-bat.
Taiwan dominated the LLWS from its first title in 1969 until its 17th in 1996, but until Sunday had only appeared in the finals once, since losing to California in 2009. Lee Chen-ta coached both the California team and this year's Taoyuan club, Keishan Little League. Last season, he coached the same team to a third-place finish, albeit with a completely different lineup.
