|
08/28/2006 7:12 PM ET
Georgia wins LLWS championship SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Cody Walker's third-inning homer and the dominating pitching of ace Kyle Carter gave the United States just its fourth Little League World Championship since 1993 as Columbus, Ga., topped Kawaguchi City, Japan, 2-1, on Monday at Lamade Stadium. Columbus, just the second team in Georgia history to reach Williamsport, also brought home a second title to the Peach State, joining the 1983 Marietta team atop the Little League throne. Because the game was pushed back from Sunday to late Monday afternoon, the typical championship atmosphere was lacking. With only 4,725 on hand, large swaths of the bleachers remained unfilled and only a scattering of fans could be seen on the ridge behind the stadium. Japan went ahead 1-0 in the top of the third on Go Matsumoto's run-scoring single and looked to shift the game's balance even further to their side in the frame's bottom half. With Georgia's Kyle Carter at second with one out, Josh Lester shot a line drive into center field. Columbus coach Randy Morris waved Carter home, but the throw from Japan center fielder Seigo Yada beat him by several steps and Carter never got within two feet of the plate blocked by catcher Ryoya Koike. What could have been a play that doused Georgia's hopes only set the stage for what proved to be the championship-winning hit. In Georgia's ensuing at-bat, Walker lined a home run over the right-field wall to give Carter the support that would carry Georgia home. Carter held Japan to just three hits and struck out 11 in the complete-game win.
David Briggs is a contributor for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
AP Photo: Columbus, Ga., second baseman Josh Lester second from right celebrates with teammates Kyle Carter (19)...
|
