SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Lathan Norton didn't play in Saturday's Little League World Series because he was sick, but he did score the game-winning run in Sunday's final game.
Lathan sprinted from second base to home plate after the ball was thrown to first base, and Lake Mary defeated Chinese Taipei, 2–1, in the eighth inning to win the championship, becoming the first Florida team to win the Little League World Series.
“It's the best feeling ever,” said Lathan, who had a 102-degree fever on Saturday but recovered before the championship. “I haven't had time to really let it all sink in yet, but it feels like the most amazing thing ever.”
Chinese Taipei (also known as Taiwan) held a 1-0 lead from the first inning until Lake Mary's final at-bat. The Southeast Asian representative team out-batted Taiwan and had a runner on third base three times but failed to score.
In the bottom of the sixth, Lake Mary had runners on first and second and DeMarcos Mises, who had struck out in his previous two at-bats, stepped up to the plate, hitting a ball into a shallow gap in left field that gave Chase Anderson enough time to score and score the tying run.
In the eighth, Lathan advanced to second base as regulation to start the inning. Hunter Alexander bunted and the throw to first flew into the outfield. The Lake Mary players filed out of the dugout and the Taiwanese players collapsed.
Lake Mary, Fla.'s Lathan Norton slips past Taiwanese catcher Yu-Chia Jui and scores the go-ahead run on Hunter Alexander's bunt during the eighth inning of the Little League World Series final in South Williamsport, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)
Lake Mary, Fla.'s Hunter Alexander (left) is embraced by Chase Anderson (right) after a bunt hit gave Taiwan the winning run from second base in the top of the eighth inning of the Little League World Series championship game, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, in South Williamsport, Pa. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)
Lake Mary, Fla.'s Hunter Alexander (center) celebrates with his teammates after hitting a game-winning, walk-off bunt in the eighth inning of the Little League World Series final against Taiwan, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, in South Williamsport, Pa. Florida won, 2-1, after eight innings. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Lake Mary, Fla.'s Hunter Alexander (front left) celebrates with his teammates after hitting a game-winning, walk-off bunt in the eighth inning during the Little League World Series final against Taiwan, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, in South Williamsport, Pa. (Photo by The Associated Press/Gene J. Puskar)
Lake Mary, Fla.'s Hunter Alexander, front row, celebrates with teammate James Feliciano after hitting a walk-off bunt in the eighth inning during the Little League World Series final against Taiwan, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, in South Williamsport, Pa. (Photo by The Associated Press/Jean J. Puskar)
Lake Mary, Fla.'s Hunter Alexander (left) is embraced by Chase Anderson (right) after a bunt hit gave Taiwan the winning run from second base in the top of the eighth inning of the Little League World Series championship game, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, in South Williamsport, Pa. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)
Lake Mary, Fla.'s Hunter Alexander (front row) celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off bunt in the eighth inning during the Little League World Series final against Taiwan, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, in South Williamsport, Pa. (Associated Press/Gene J. Puskar)
Hunter Alexander of Lake Mary, Fla., hits a walk-off bunt in the eighth inning to score the winning run in the Little League World Series championship game against Taiwan, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, in South Williamsport, Pa. Florida won the game, 2-1, after eight innings. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Lake Mary, Florida celebrates after a 2-1 victory over Taiwan in the Little League World Series finals, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, in South Williamsport, Pa. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)
Lake Mary, Fla.'s Jacob Bibeau (left) was trying to score from third base on a fielder's choice hit by Teraj Alexander when Taiwan's Yu-Chia Jui (right) tagged out during the top of the second inning of the Little League World Series championship game in South Williamsport, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Lake Mary, Fla., player Hunter Alexander, left, celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off bunt in the eighth inning against Taiwan in the Little League World Championship, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, in South Williamsport, Pa. Florida won, 2-1, after eight innings. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Lake Mary, Florida, players pose after defeating Taiwan in the Little League World Series finals, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. (Associated Press/Tom E. Puskar)
Lake Mary, Fla., manager Jonathan Anderson celebrates after his team's victory over Taiwan in the Little League World Series finals, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, in South Williamsport, Pa. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)
Lake Mary, Florida, circles Lamade Stadium after defeating Taiwan, 2-1, in the Little League World Series finals, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, in South Williamsport, Pa. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)
James Feliciano (14) of Lake Mary, Fla., poses for a selfie with his team after their victory over Taiwan in the Little League World Series finals, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, in South Williamsport, Pa. (Associated Press/Tom E. Puskar)
Lake Mary, Fla.'s Jacob Bibeau pitches in the top of the first inning during the Little League World Series final against Taiwan, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, in South Williamsport, Pa. (Photo by The Associated Press/Gene J. Puskar)
Lake Mary, Fla.'s Lathan Norton slips past Taiwanese catcher Yu-Chia Jui and scores the go-ahead run on Hunter Alexander's bunt during the eighth inning of the Little League World Series final in South Williamsport, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)
Taiwan's Hu Yan-jun (15) singles to score one run off Jacob Bibeau of Lake Mary, Fla., during the first inning of the Little League World Series final in South Williamsport, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (Photo by The Associated Press/Gene J. Puskar)
Taiwan's Chou Zhi-kai pitches the first inning against Lake Mary, Fla., during the Little League World Series finals in South Williamsport, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Taiwan's Chen Bo-wei (7), Peng Yi-yan (18), Chiu Wei-che (14) and catcher Yu Chia-rui pose after losing to Lake Mary, Fla., in the Little League World Series finals in South Williamsport, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)
Pitcher Chiu Wei-chieh (right) and catcher Yu-chia Jui of Taiwan react after Lake Mary, Florida, scored the winning run in the top of the eighth inning of the Little League World Series final in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)
Taiwan's Yu Tian-hao reacts to his team's loss to Lake Mary, Fla., in the Little League World Series finals in South Williamsport, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (Photo by The Associated Press/Gene J. Puskar)
Taiwan lines up down the third base line and Lake Mary, Fla., lines up down the first base line during team introductions before the Little League World Series championship game at Lamade Stadium in South Williamsport, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
The Lake Mary, Fla., team takes a victory lap on the Lamade Stadium field after defeating Taiwan in the Little League World Series finals, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, in South Williamsport, Pa. Florida won 2-1 in game eight. (Associated Press Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Members of the Taiwanese team react after losing to Lake Mary, Fla., in the Little League World Series finals, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, in South Williamsport, Pa. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
The Lake Mary, Fla., team takes a victory lap on the Lamade Stadium field after defeating Taiwan in the Little League World Series finals, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, in South Williamsport, Pa. Florida won 2-1 in game eight. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
The Lake Mary, Fla., team takes a victory lap on the Lamade Stadium field after defeating Taiwan in the Little League World Series finals, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, in South Williamsport, Pa. Florida won 2-1 in game eight. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
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Lake Mary, Fla.'s Lathan Norton slips past Taiwanese catcher Yu-Chia Jui and scores the go-ahead run on Hunter Alexander's bunt during the eighth inning of the Little League World Series final in South Williamsport, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)
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“I was just thinking, 'Play fair, play fair,'” Hunter said. “After the ball went by me, I was like, 'Let's go!'”
Taiwan walked two batters in a row right after the start of the game. After a bunt advanced a runner and a pop out, Hu Yen-Chun hit the ball toward third base, which hit JJ Feliciano. Chiu Wei-Che scored easily, but that was Taiwan's only run.
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.
“We came here to do something. We came here to do a job, and today we got the job done,” Florida coach Jonathan Anderson said. “We lost to Texas, but we fought to the end, and here we are, telling the story of how we won all of this.”
Chinese Taipei dominated the LLWS from its first title in 1969 until its 17th in 1996, but before Sunday had only appeared in the finals once, since losing to California in 2009. Lee Chen-ta coached both that team and this year's Taoyuan, Taiwan club, Keishan Little League. Last season, he coached the same team, with an entirely different lineup, to a third-place finish.
Chinese Taipei's coaching staff, representing the Asia-Pacific region, declined to attend the post-match press conference.
First published: August 25, 2024, 6:35 PM
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