SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
By Arnie Leshin
An unexpected celebration lasted until Louis Lappe stepped to the plate.
Lappe, a 12-year-old standing 6-foot-1, and his United States West Region champions from El Segundo, California, had total command of Sunday’s 75th annual boys Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.
Their lead was 5-1 as Willemstad, Curacao, representing the Internation field for the Caribbean, came to bat in the last of the fifth of the six-inning regulation game.
Whereas California had the long-ball hitters and a power quartet at the top of its batting order, Curacao had singles hitter and a crafty pitching staff.
California’s manager had just removed his starter Brady Brooks from the mound after he walked two to put two on and two out in the fourth, but the reliever issued another walk to load the bases.
Believe it, now it was a grand slam possibility for a team that had but one home run in the tournament and didn’t have more than four runs in any game.
The prayers in the stands began for Curacao. And on a full count, El Osais leaned into a curve ball and sent it over the fence in right field with two fielders watching it.
It was Osais’ lone homer, the other for his team had been from Jay-Dlyann Wiel, who hurled four frames in relief this contest.
Its next batter popped up to the infield for the third out and it was a nightmarish though that Lappe, batting .668 with five home runs and five RBI, was leading off for California.
Sean Saverie was now on the mound for hopeful Curacao. Its manager Zaino Everett huddled on the hill with his battery and infielders.
The first pitch was outside, the second was a fastball that Lappe just clouted almost over the stands in left field. It was as if he then wiped his hands and rounded the bases.
The resounding cheers from the Curacao supporters were gone. What had almost lengthened this game when it was a no contest had given way to Lappe and his bat.
The El Segundo boys had scored twice in the first inning, with Lappe doubling and scoring on Brooks’ home run to right-center. In the third, Jackson Kalish singled in a run and Tim Kelford followed with a run-scoring double.
Before the magical slam that almost reversed the outcome, Curacao tallied one run on a walk and two singles in the third.
The kids from Willemstad went 3-1, having defeated Australia, 2-1, Venezuela, 2-1, lost 9-1 to third place Chinese Taipei, and got past Mexico, 4-2. They totaled nine runs and allowed 13.
The California boys edged Ohio, 4-3, lost 3-1 to Texas, turned back Tennessee, 5-3, and nipped Washington state, 2-1. They tallied 12 runs and yielded 10.
With the win in the title game, they finished at 4-1.
From a slow and winding road to a California success, it resulted in a tight finish with the grand slam followed by the Lappe winner.
In the third place game, Chinese Taipei from Taiwan blanked Needville, Texas, 10-0.
