SW Virginia Finally wins LLWS

The green grassy fields have seen their last game of the season, but for one fortunate team their season lives on. It was a long hard season on these boys, hard fought, grueling travel schedule, rain outs rescheduled games, heated arguments. But for the most part it has been fun for player and parent alike. Now onto the their next destination, Williamsport, PA where the Little League World Series is played. These players have never been there before and they are excited, pumped to be the first ever from their region to represent their region in the double elimination tournament. You can't blame them for being confident, because they had some tough games, but then again so have the other teams.

This year they have updated the park in Williamsport with more telephone lines than ever before. As the teams arrive they are given their room assignments, keys, have their photos taken for security purposes and then issued their uniforms for their respective region of either the United States or International markets. As an American, I pull for the American teams, but I think those international uniforms are absolutely well done. I love the international flare of the sport and the sportsmanship displayed by all teams after the games are over. I heard a coach say to his team that was crying after a loss, ok guys obviously not our best day, but let's come back out here tomorrow and be better.

Every team is given a tour of the complex, then they have their player introductions for ESPN and eventually team photos. Then the next day good Lord willing the games begin, I have seen where the rain has won the contest for that day, not the teams. One thing I do hate the most are injuries, yes they happen, a pitcher tries to come high and tight and catches the player in the face. I saw a pitcher from New York with one error committed by his teammate and the wheels fell off of his game, the pitcher left the game having gave up five runs. He was trying to hide in the corner of the dug out but ESPN kept their camera's trained on the poor boy. Cut the lad some slack.

This team is from an area where their colors are green and white. They are from Southwestern, VA. Never had a team from that area make it to the series before. Now they are here, they are just like the Hokies of Virginia Tech and they travel extremely well. The stands are packed with their fans, but the team doesn't fare well the first game. They get beat and bad, thirteen to zero. After they shake hands, the opposing coach comes over and tells the boys hey guys relax you look tense out there. You act like you are afraid to make a mistake, it's supposed to be about your skill yes but you are also supposed to be a kid and have fun. They get put into the losers bracket, but hey Louisiana won it all from the losers bracket.

The next game they come out and win five to zero and you can see the confidence building in these boys. They are getting better as each day goes along. They play pepper ball to stay loose In game three they win six to four but one of the players from the other team gets ejected foe deliberately spiking the catcher, which took him out of the rest of the series with a broken ankle. The coach said we have to work harder boys, and the catcher returned to watch the next game. The boy that slid into him came over and gave him a hug, shook his hand as did his coach.

In game four, they won in dramatic fashion. They had two out, bases loaded three balls two strikes, so basically a strike from being eliminated. The batter gets a decent pitch and sends it deep, and over the fence for a ten to seven final. They end up playing the first team that beat them the first night for the US Championship. The other team kept saying how easy it would be. Their coach said guys, this isn't the same team, be careful out there or else the will clean our clocks tonight. And in dramatic fashion, Southwestern Virginia beat the team they lost to in the first game and won the US Championship. One more game to play, the next day.

In Southwestern Virginia every bar had the game on, no business was doing business. Most parents from Southwestern Virginia, live streamed the game home on their cell phones to family who was unbale to make it. The game was on, their city against South Korea, who is a good little squad in and of itself. This would not be an easy win for either side. That statement proved true for South Korea who lost in the bottom of the fifteenth inning on a bases loaded hit batter, wow. The pitcher laid on the mound and cried. The coach for VA went out and picked him up to encourage him and tell him he did his very best. Every Player from VA went to the pitcher first, then shook hands with the rest of the team. They took photos together, then bowed to one another and there were smiles again. Both teams ran off together, loss forgotten, tears dried up what an amazing tournament this one was.

https://youtu.be/Xq3hEMUeBGQ