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The Manhattan Beach Junior Little League All Stars closed the league's first-ever Junior World Series berth with two wins.
The team beat Chinese Taipei 11-9 Thursday, finishing tournament play as the third best team in the United States pool and as the fifth best team in the world, said coach Jeff Proctor.
MB was led by Trevor Franklin and Zack Chan with three hits each; Zack's three hits delivered five RBIs. Robert White, Tommy Bothwell, Will Proctor and Jackson Michalski all pitched well for MB, said Proctor.
The team, comprised of 13-, 14- and 15-year olds, attended the Tigers-Orioles baseball game Friday night, engaged in a fun game of wiffle ball with boys on the Chinese Taipei team, and participated in opening and closing ceremonies of the Junior World series.
On Wednesday, before playing and beating a team from Ohio, the boys engaged in a friendly game of wiffle ball with the Asia-Pacific Region winning team from Chinese Taipei. Despite a 2-1 loss, the MB kids had a great time and made new friends, according to one of the player's parent.
"This is really what the World Series is all about," said Paul Franklin, noting that the MB boys stayed after their victory against Ohio to watch the Chinese team play Italy. "What great spirit!"
The MB team's journey earned them a 21-4 record, 2-3 in the Junior World Series.
Here's the website with game scores/results in the series.
The boys won the West Region to gain a spot in the Junior World Series tournament. Little League Juniors are 13 and 14 years old but many have turned 15 as of this date.
Team members are Reese Alexiades, Matt Beserra, Tommy Bothwell, Zack Chan, Brett Davis, Trevor Franklin, Blake Hammerstein, Ryan May, Jackson Michalski, Rollie Nichols, Will Proctor, Hunter Tiedemann and Robert White.
The team is managed by Ira Smith and coached by Keith Ramsey and Jeff Proctor.
After three weeks on the road away from home, the team flies into Los Angeles International Airport Sunday around 12 noon.
Welcome home, and congratulations!
