California wins Little League World Series over Curacao on walk-off homer

Associated Press
Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023 6:38 p.m. | Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023 6:38 p.m.

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El Segundo, Calif.’s Louis Lappe, right center, celebrates with manager Danny Bole, left center, and teammates after hitting a solo walk-off home run off Curacao’s Jay-Dlynn Wiel during the sixth inning of the Little League World Series Championship game in South Williamsport, Pa.

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El Segundo, Calif.’s Louis Lappe (19) and celebrate after scoring on a double by Lucas Keldorf off Curacao’s Sean Serverie (12) during the first inning of the Little League World Series Championship game in South Williamsport, Pa.

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Curacao’s Sean Serverie collects himself on the mound after giving up a double to El Segundo, Calif.’s Lucas Keldorf, driving in two runs, during the first inning of the Little League World Series Championship game in South Williamsport, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023.

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El Segundo, Calif.’s Lucas Keldorf (9) follows through on a double off Curacao’s Sean Serverie, driving in two runs, during the first inning of the Little League World Series Championship game in South Williamsport, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023.

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Curacao’s Sean Serverie (12) delivers during the first inning of the Little League World Series Championship game against El Segundo, Calif. in South Williamsport, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023.

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El Segundo, Calif.’s Lucas Keldorf (9) hits a double off Curacao’s Sean Serverie, driving in two runs, during the first inning of the Little League World Series Championship game in South Williamsport, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023.

AP

Curacao’s Shemar Sophia Jacobus (9) singles off El Segundo, Calif.’s Ollie Parks, driving in a run, in the third inning of the Little League World Series Championship game in South Williamsport, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023.

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT — Louis Lappe hit a walk-off homer and California beat Curacao 6-5 in the Little League World Series championship on Sunday, despite giving up a four-run lead.

Louis flipped his bat and threw his arms in the air as he trotted around the bases, leaping onto home plate before he was greeted by his teammates surrounding the batter’s box. The leadoff hitter in the bottom of the sixth inning, Louis lofted the second pitch he saw just beyond the left field fence.

A day Louis Lappe will remember forever‼️

Lappe walks it off for California to win the Little League World Series ????

????: @ESPN pic.twitter.com/CMvvYEKmUL

— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) August 27, 2023

Curacao tied the game in the fifth on Nasir El-Ossais’s grand slam to center. Nasir also drove in a run in the third.

Jaxon Kalish and Lucas Keldorf drove in two runs each for California.

It was the first trip to the final for the team from El Segundo, a community in the Los Angeles area. California’s eight titles are the most by any U.S. state.

Curacao, a small island off the coast of Venezuela that is home to just 150,000 residents, has represented the international side of the bracket in the championship the last three times non-U.S. teams have competed — in 2019, 2022 and this year — but has lost each time.

There was no tournament in 2020 because of the covid-19 pandemic and the 2021 tournament was limited to American teams because of travel restrictions.

Curacao returned five players and its coaching staff from the team that lost 13-3 to Hawaii in the 2022 final.

El Segundo, California!

They’re your @LittleLeague World Series champions. #LLWS pic.twitter.com/fnZgkrcRxB

— MLB (@MLB) August 27, 2023

Both California and Curacao took a loss during the tournament and had to work their way through the elimination bracket to the final. With pitch counts mounting across the rosters, each turned to less experienced LLWS starters.

Crew O’Connor drove in a run for El Segundo with a single to left field that followed Max Baker’s triple in the fourth, giving California a 5-1 advantage.