Late Rally Sends Petaluma to American Legion World Series Finals

Underestimate the Petaluma Leghorns at your own peril.

A team that opened the double-elimination American Legion World Series in Shelby (N.C.) on Friday with a dispiriting loss faced a seemingly insurmountable deficit on Monday.

But the Leghorns rallied from a four run deficit going into the sixth inning for a resounding 14-4 victory over previously unbeaten Brooklawn (N.J.).

The victory sends Petaluma to the final round. The Leghorns will play Northwest Region champion Waipahu (Hawaii) today at 2 p.m. (Pacific time). The winner of that game will play Mid-Atlantic regional champion Brooklawn in a title game scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

All games can be streamed for free on ESPN3.

Anthony Bender had two hits and three runs scored and Charles Parnow had two hits and three RBI to lead the Leghorns offensively.

Petaluma trailed 4-0 going into the top of the sixth when Bender lef off the innign with a solo home run to left field, turning the momentum of what was starting to seem like a lost cause.

Parnow singled in a run later in the inning to make it 4-2.

Petaluma took a 7-4 lead in a wild seventh inning rally, as the Leghorns scored five runs six walks, a hit batsmen, a sacrifice fly, no hits and no errors.

Robert Busse added a two-run single and Weston Bryan an RBI double in the ninth, when the Leghorns broke the game open with a six-run inning.

Nicholas Marks pitched one scoreless inning in relief for the win and Dominic Garihan pitched three shutout innings of no-hit ball for the save.

Leghorns starter Connor Littleton allowed four runs (two earned) in five innings.