Sports

Little League World Series: Walla Walla Eliminated

Walla Walla was defeated by the New England champs, who will go on to play the Mid-Atlantic team.

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WALLA WALLA, WA — After a rain delay, Walla Walla Valley was eliminated from the Little League World Series by the New England regional champs in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Walla Walla was unable to overcome several wild pitches and errors, losing 14-6 to the Fairfield American Little League team, out of Fairfield, Connecticut. The game was played at the Howard J. Lamade field and aired on ESPN.

Inning by inning recap below: (For more information on the Walla Walla team and similar stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

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1st inning:

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Northwest batting: After Fairfield pitcher Tyler Bauer struck out the leadoff batter, Walla Walla's Andrew Hall flew out on a towering fly ball that nearly made it to the center field warning track. Bauer then got Keegan Weston to ground out on a dribbler to the pitcher.

New England batting: After Walla Walla pitcher Drew Coleman battled back from a 3-1 count to get Ethan Righter to ground out to shortstop, Michael Iannazzo singled on a hit a bloop single to left field for Fairfield's first base hit of the night. Matthew Vivona then grounded out to the pitcher, advancing the runner to second. Iannazzo later scampered to third on a wild pitch, but Fairfield was unable to capitalize, flying out to center field on the next pitch.

2nd inning:

Northwest batting: After Caiden Thomsen struck out looking on a Bauer curveball that dropped into the strike zone, Bauer plunked Walla Walla's Hayden Lomeli. Lomeli advance to second on a passed ball, but was later thrown out at third on a ball to the pitcher. A Landon Welter walk brought Rylan Warren to the plate. Warren singled to right field, scoring one run. A wild throw to the backstop brought home another score and advanced Warren to second base. A subsequent strikeout ended the inning.

New England batting: Fairfield's Andrew Cutler lead off the inning with a hard hit single to right past a diving second basement. A booted ground ball by the shortstop put runners on first and second. Cutler then advanced to third on a ball in the dirt. After a strike out, the runner on first swiped second. Owen Kalagher then singled passed a diving second baseman to score two runs and tie the game. Kalagher reached second on the throw. Coleman was able to get out of the inning though, striking out the next batter and then inducing a ground out to shortstop.

3rd inning:

Northwest batting: Walla Walla leadoff hitter Drew Coleman was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a bouncing single between third base and shortstop by Andrew Hall. Weston's followed up with a hard hit single to center field that scored one runner. With runners on second and third, Thomsen struck out, but Lomeli hit a bouncing single to center field scoring two more runs. Lomeli swiped second base on the play when Fairfield wasn't paying attention. Bauer struck out a swinging Joe Baffney on a breaking ball in the dirt, then induced a ground out to end the threat.

New England batting: After a issuing a free pass to Iannazzo, Coleman was able to get out of the inning by striking out Vivona and Bauer, then inducing a ground out.

4th inning:

Northwest batting: Walla Walla went down in order in the fourth inning, falling victim to good defense by Fairfield. The left fielder took away a hit from Tanner Swopes, making a sliding catch in the process. Righter then flashed leather on a hard grounder to second.

New England batting: Fairfield caught a break in the bottom of the frame when a fly ball to center landed between two confused Walla Walla outfielders, resulting in a double. Anthony Falletta singled to put runner on on first and third. Christian Smith then tied the game with one swing of the bat, launching a home run deep into center field. But the inning didn't end there. Griffin Dodder reached second base on a grounder went under the third basemen's glove, and Righter brought him home on a double to deep left-center field. Iannazzo then singled to left field to push the lead to 7-5.

After Carson Jones was brought in to relieve Coleman, Iannazzo advanced to second on a wild pitch, then to third on a ground out to second base. With Bauer at the plate, Iannazzo scored on another wild pitch. Bauer walked, then stole second on a pitch that bounced off the catcher's glove. Cutler reached second base on dropped 3rd strike that the catcher then threw into right field. Bauer scored on the play. Cutler swiped third on ball in the dirt, and was later brought home in a subsequent Rivera double into the left-center gap. Jones got Falletta to ground out, but the fourth wild pitch of the inning allowed the runner to advance to third. Smith walked to bring up Randazzo with runners on first and third, but Jones was able to finally get out of the inning with a strikeout.

5th inning:

Northwest batting: Bauer need just five pitches to get Walla Walla's first two batters out, inducing a soft line out to shortstop and then striking out Weston. But Bauer fell behind 3-1 to Thomsen, who crushed a home run to center field on a pitch left out over the plate. Bauer got out of the inning on an incredible catch by Pollack in center field to take away a home run from Lomeli.

New England batting: Fairfield's bats stayed hot, with Righter hitting a hard liner into right field that deflected off a diving right fielder. Iannazzo then smashed a breaking ball into the trees in center field to push the score to 12-6. After Lomeli made a nice catch on a ball hit to deep right field, Bauer walked. He later advanced to third on a double past the centerfielder's glove by Troy Ashkinos. Another ball that went between the third baseman's legs and skipped into the outfield allowed two more runs to score. Walla Walla finally gout out of the inning on a fielder's choice to second base and subsequent fly out.

6th inning:

Northwest batting: With Vivona on the mound, Billy Duncan and Welter struck out. Warren made Walla Walla's final out in the game on a ground out to second base.

Current score: 14-6

New England batting:

Walla Walla Valley roster:

Fairfield American Little League team

You can track the tournament at the Little League World Series and print your own bracket.

Photos courtesy of Little League Baseball and Softball

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