Sports

Orange County Little Leaguers Win World Series

Ocean View defeats Japanese team, 2-1, in Pennsylvania.

Huntington Beach's Ocean View All-Star team has captured the 65th Little League World Series with a 2-1 victory Sunday over the team from Hamamatsu Minami, Japan in South Williamsport, PA.

Nick Pratto, atoning for an earlier error, singled in pinch-runner Eric Anderson with the winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Ocean View brought the world championship back to Southern California three years after a team from Chula Vista did the same.

Braydon Salzman singled to lead off the final inning, advanced to second on Dylan Palmer's single and to third when Hagen Danner was safe at first on an error by shortstop Gaishi Iguchi. Salzman was forced out at the plate on a ground ball by Trevor Windisch for the inning's second out.

Find out what's happening in Rancho Santa Margaritawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Pratto followed with the game-winning single, his third hit of the game. It was the first walk-off win in a LLWS final since Georgia's 2007 victory over Japan.

Hamamatsu Minami took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning. Seiya Fujita led off with a single and was replaced by pinch-runner Kaito Suzuki, at 68 pounds the lightest player in the LLWS.

Find out what's happening in Rancho Santa Margaritawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Suzuki moved to second on Shoto Totsuka's sacrifice bunt, then tried to advance to third. Pratto, the Ocean View first baseman, threw wildly for an error, allowing Suzuki to score.

Ocean View tied the score in the bottom of the third when Danner led off with a homer.

Salzman, a 13-year-old right-hander, was the winning pitcher, throwing a three-hitter and striking out nine.

The start of the game was delayed 3 1/2 hours because of rain, as the remnants of Hurricane Irene swept out of the area. The game started in rain but ended in sunshine.

On its road to the title, Ocean View won 23 of its 25 games, including 17 of its last 18. It outscored its six opponents in LLWS play, 36-4.

This is the seventh LLWS title won by a California team, tying the region for second with Japan behind Taiwan and extending its advantage over all other American states. Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New Jersey are next, with four each.

U.S. teams are 14-32 against their foreign counterparts in LLWS championship games, but Ocean View becomes the sixth American team to win in the past seven years, denying Japan its second-straight championship.

Ocean View is the first Orange County team to win the LLWS. The Northwood Little League All-Stars from Irvine played for the world championship in 1987 but lost 21-1 to the all-stars from Hua-Lien, Taiwan. The South Mission Viejo Little League All-Stars lost, 5-4, to Guadalupe, Mexico in the 1997 title game.

—City News Service


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here