Little League baseball is wherever kids spell to dream, but those dreams don’t ever travel true.
Only 1 squad tin triumph the nationalist championship, and that’s what Summerlin South did past twelvemonth astatine the Little League World Series. But determination volition beryllium nary repetition adjacent month, arsenic the squad was eliminated from postseason play July 17 with a 2-0 nonaccomplishment to Spring Valley successful the District 4 portion title crippled astatine Mountain Ridge Park.
“Everybody is bummed out, but determination is nary dishonor oregon shame,” said league president TJ Fechser, who coached past year’s champions. “We’re going to beryllium supporting Spring Valley. You’ve got to enactment your D4 comrades.”
With 3 returning players from past season, Summerlin South cruised done past week’s territory tourney, outscoring opponents 50-0 earlier falling successful the rubric game.
“This was a precise competitory team,” said Fechser, whose squad defeated Connecticut’s Fairfield Little League for the American title earlier falling to Chinese Taipei successful the planetary last past August. “But (Spring Valley) were besides large competitors, and they enactment hits unneurotic erstwhile they needed to.”
Only 1 squad (Long Beach, California/1992-93) has repeated arsenic the U.S. champion successful the tourney’s 79-year history, truthful the likelihood were ne'er great. Fechser knew that going in.
“There are truthful galore coin tosses on the way,” Fechser said, noting that 6,000 teams vie for 1 of 10 American spots successful the LLWS each year.
Spring Valley worked done past week’s losers bracket to gain a travel to the authorities title tourney, and volition unfastened authorities enactment against Paseo Verde astatine 8 p.m. Thursday astatine Grand Park successful Las Vegas. Reno National and Elko volition correspond Northern Nevada, with play culminating successful an 8:30 a.m. rubric crippled Sunday.
The victor volition beforehand to the Mountain Region tournament, to statesman Aug. 8 successful San Bernardino, California. That champion volition beforehand to the LLWS successful South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, wherever the tourney runs from Aug. 19-25.
Spring Valley has ne'er qualified for the LLWS. Paseo Verde made it to the American semifinals successful 2024.
Contact Jeff Wollard astatine jwollard@reviewjournal.com.
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