Goodlettsville (Tenn.) Baseball Little League earned its first berth in the Little League Baseball World Series tonight by winning the championship game of the Southeast Region Tournament over Warner Robins (Ga.) American Little League by a 1-0 score. It is the first time since 1987 the state of Tennessee will be represented in the World Series.
The Tennessee State Champions scored the only run of the game in the second inning when leading hitting Phillip Carter, who came into the title game hitting .500 in the tournament, led off with a single. Lorenzo Butler then reached on an error and both runners moved up one base on a passed ball. After Stephen Snyder was hit by a pitch to load the bases, a passed ball with two outs plated the only run of the game.
Goodlettsville Baseball Little League starter Brock Myers went the first five innings, did not allow a hit, and struck out nine. He reached his pitch limit to get the final batter of the fifth inning. Jacob Rucker worked the sixth inning allowing a leadoff single to Kody Winner, the first hit of the game for Warner Robins American Little League. But, that threat was erased when the next batter popped out to Rucker, and Winner was doubled off first base. Rucker struck out the next batter to put a team from Tennessee in the World Series for only the fifth time.
The pitching of Goodlettsville Baseball Little League allowed only one base runner in the game to reach third base, which was in the first inning, and only one other runner to reach second base, that coming in the fourth inning.
Goodlettsville Baseball Little League advanced to the title game, played at Southeast Park at Little League’s Southeastern Region Headquarters in Warner Robins, by beating Tar Heel Little League from Greenville, N.C., in one semifinal, 9-3. Warner Robins American Little League reached the championship game with a 5-1 win over Great Falls (Va.) Little League. Warner Robins American Little League was looking for its fourth trip to the World Series having earned a berth in 2007, 2009 and 2011. They won the 2007 World Series.
Goodlettsville Baseball Little League joins Aguadulce Cabezera Little League from Aguadulce, Panama, the Latin America Region Champion; Kitasuna Little League from Tokyo, Japan, the Japan Region Tournament Champion; Asia-Pacific Region Champion, Kuei-Shan Little League from Taoyuan County, Chinese Taipei; Pariba Little League from Willemstad, Curacao, the Caribbean Region Champion; Middle East & Africa Champion, Lugazi Little League from Lugazi, Uganda; Mexico Region Champion, Oriente Little League from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico; KMC American Little League from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, the Europe Champion; McAllister Park National Little League from San Antonio, Texas, the Southwest Region Champion; and Great Lakes Region Champion, New Castle (Ind.) Little League, in the 16-team Little League Baseball World Series field.
The new Southeast Region champion will play its first game in the World Series, Aug. 16, against the Midwest Region Champions.
The 66th Little League Baseball World Series, for 11-12-year-olds, will be played in South Williamsport, Pa., Aug. 16-26. Sixteen teams from around the world will vie for the coveted title of World Champion.
The World Series will use the same format as last year with the teams split into two eight-team brackets – a U.S. bracket and an International bracket.