Oh, Canada!!
Canada (1-2) wins a wild game against Europe (0-3) to close
out Pool D play, 14-13
Source: South Williamsport, Pa.
Date/Time: Tuesday, August 25, 2009, 2:00pm ET
Even in the World Series games that don’t matter, they really do matter.
When a pair of 0-2 teams are closing out pool play with a game against one
another, it matters. Country pride is on the line, community pride in on the
line, and the heart, soul, and spirit of the kids is on the line.
Not only that, it’s never over until it’s over…until the 18th out is recorded.
“You never know in a Little League game,” said Europe manager Ed Prince after
his team’s Pool D finale with Canada.
Indeed, you never know.
After Prince’s team scored a resounding 11 runs in the bottom of the fifth
inning to erase a 10-2 deficit and make it 13-10, Canada came back in the top of
the sixth with four of its own to retake the lead and win it, 14-13.
Trailing 13-12 with two outs in the inning, Canada’s Katie Reyes dumped a
two-run single into right field to cap the comeback in front of 6,240 Little
League fans at Volunteer Stadium.
“I was excited,” Reyes said. “I was shaking I was so nervous.”
Reyes’s late-inning heroics were made possible by the patience of Matthew Woo,
who, down to his team’s last strike with a 2-2 count, took two straight balls to
work the walk and load the bases for Reyes.
“It shows a little bit of character to come back and score four runs,” said
Canada manager Vito Bordignon. “We didn’t want to go 0-3. That was the focus.”
Europe sent 14 batters to the plate in its 11-run fifth. Chris Holba’s grand
slam with one out in the inning turned a 10-7 deficit into a temporary 11-10
lead.
“I was kind of shocked that they got all those runs,” said Canada shortstop
Anthony Cusati. “We just got it together and came back to win it.”
Cusati finished the day 3-for-3 with two homers and five RBI. His two-run homer
in the sixth started the rally, pulling Canada to within one at 13-12. He also
hit a solo home run to lead off the third, making it 3-0.
The teams combined for 27 runs, tying the single-game record at the Little
League Baseball World Series game since the tournament expanded to 16 teams in
2001. Saugus, Mass. and Richmond, Texas combined for 27 runs in a thrilling
14-13 win for the New England champs in 2003. Some say that was the greatest
Little League World Series game of all time.
The all-time record at the Series for runs scored in a game is 29. In 1992, a
team from the Dominican Republic defeated a club from Quebec, Canada, 29-0.
This year’s Canada squad from Vancouver, British Columbia did have to hold on in
the bottom of the sixth. With two outs and the tying run on second base, second
baseman Christian Cullen made a diving stop of Tyler Pecht’s grounder to the
right side. Cullen got to his knees and threw out Pecht at first to end it.
“We still had to play hard,” Canada third baseman Matteo Vincelli said in
reaction to giving up the 11 runs in the fifth. “We didn’t want to get shut out
the whole tournament.”
The Europe team from Ramstein Air Base, Germany goes home winless. But the
all-stars end on somewhat of a high note after being held scoreless in their
first two games of the tournament, losing, 16-0, to Asia Pacific and 13-0 to
Mexico.
“I was just glad to see them play,” Manager Prince said. “Finally we started
hitting and got some stuff going. We just came out on the low side of that one.
It stings a little bit, but finally Europe showed up.”