Lake Mary All-Stars win 2024 Little League World Series defeating Chinese Taipei, 2-1

LAKE MARY, Fla. - They did it! The Lake Mary All-Stars made history on Sunday, becoming the first Florida team to win a Little League World Series Championship.

Lake Mary won the title by defeating Chinese Taipei, 2-1, in a game that would go into extra innings at Howard J. Lamade Stadium in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

The previously undefeated Chinese Taipei, representing the Asia-Pacific Region, had won five straight games to get to the championship game, including two shutouts against Canada and Australia and three very convincing wins over Cuba, Japan, and Latin America. 

Lake Mary (6-1) had a near-perfect run through the tournament, though there were a couple of nail-biters. The All-Stars nabbed wins over the Midwest and Northwest Regions before hitting a setback in a loss to the Southwest Region, represented by a team from Boerne, Texas. The All-Stars would recover from that defeat, winning three straight games over the Metro, West, and Mountain Regions to earn a rematch against Texas to claim the LLWS U.S. Championship with a 10-7 victory.

It was another thrilling performance by the Florida team on Sunday. Lake Mary was trailing 1-0 heading into the 6th inning when DJ Mieses stepped up to the plate and delivered, allowing for the team's first score and sending the game into an extra inning. Not since 2007 had a Little League World Series Championship game gone into extra innings. 

Tied 1-1, the game would head into the eighth inning. In the bottom of the 8th, Lake Mary bunted to first base on the first pitch; the pitcher picked up the ball and threw to first, but no one was there, and the game-winning run was scored from second base. 

These boys are now hometown heroes, and their win will be celebrated in a special parade next weekend. The City of Lake Mary praised the team's accomplishments in a statement. 

"The City of Lake Mary could not be prouder of our International World Series Championship Team for all the dedication, passion, and hard work you put into the Little League World Series! You’ve shown the whole country the true spirit of teamwork and perseverance. From every practice to every game, you’ve given it everything! Your commitment on and off the field has been nothing short of inspiring, and this is just the beginning of many great things to come!"

Earlier Sunday, Texas lost to Latin America, 4-3, in the LLWS consolation third-place game.

Lake Mary's first LLWS appearance 

The Lake Mary All-Stars departed Florida on Aug. 8 to compete in the team's first-ever appearance in the LLWS. They secured their spot by going undefeated (4-0) in the Southeast Regional Tournament during the first week of August in Georgia.

Lake Mary wasn't the first team from Central Florida to compete on this grand stage. In 2001, the Apopka All-Stars reached the Little League World Series, ultimately winning the United States Championship before falling to Japan in the world title game.

The Lake Mary All-Stars followed in Apopka's footsteps, hoping to bring home the championship trophy. FOX 35 News interviewed Justin LaFavers, a former player from that Apopka team, who shared insights into the high-stakes tournament.

"They're going to learn how to handle pressure," LaFavers said. "They're going to learn to fight through those things, fight through distractions."

Aug. 14: Lake Mary defeats Midwest Region, 2-1

The Lake Mary All-Stars claimed their first LLWS victory on Aug. 14 by defeating Sioux Falls, South Dakota, representing the Midwest region, 2-1. They advanced to play the Northwest Region representative, South Hill Little League, from Puyallup, Washington.

Aug. 16: Lake Mary defeats Northwest Region, 6-1

The Lake Mary All-Stars secured another LLWS victory, boosting their championship hopes. The team started strong and quickly built momentum, winning decisively 6-1 over the Northwest Region's South Hill Little League from Puyallup, Washington.

The Friendly Confines Sports Restaurant in Lake Mary buzzed with excitement as fans gathered for a watch party to cheer on their hometown heroes. Lake Mary improved to 2-0 in the tournament following their close 2-1 victory over Sioux Falls.

Owen Fouse, a former member of last year’s Lake Mary Little League All-Star team, expressed amazement at the team’s success.

"We've been playing here since we were eight," Fouse said. "If you had told me that we'd play in the Little League World Series, honestly, I would not have believed you. But now, it's real, and they have a real opportunity to win."

Lake Mary advanced in the winner's bracket and was set to play again on Monday against the Southwest Region team from Texas, which had gone undefeated in regional play.

Aug. 19: Lake Mary loses to Southwest Region, 4-1

Lake Mary's quest for the Little League World Series title faced a setback with a 4-1 loss to the Southwest Region team from Boerne, Texas. The loss placed Lake Mary in an elimination scenario, but the team remained determined to continue their journey.

Despite struggling on the mound, which contributed to the 4-1 loss, the team still had much to look forward to.

Aug. 20: Lake Mary defeats Metro Region, 6-1

Lake Mary faced a must-win situation as they prepared to take on the Metro Region team from Staten Island, New York. The team needed to win four consecutive games to achieve the championship. They defeated the Metro Region team 6-1.

Aug. 21: Lake Mary defeats West Region, 4-3

Lake Mary narrowly defeated the West Region team from Wailuku, Hawaii, 4-3. Hawaii staged a fourth-inning comeback, cutting Lake Mary's 4-0 lead to 4-3, but Lake Mary held on to advance to play against Henderson, Nevada, on Thursday.

Aug. 22: Lake Mary defeats Mountain Region, 6-3

The Lake Mary All-Stars advanced to the U.S. Championship game in the Little League World Series after defeating the Mountain Region's team from Henderson, Nevada, 6-3, at Howard J. Lamade Stadium in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Lake Mary took an early lead, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning. The Florida team was set to face Texas in a rematch on Saturday.

The winner of that game would advance to Sunday's Little League World Series title game against the international bracket winner. The losing team would compete in a consolation game, also on Sunday.

Aug. 24: Lake Mary wins U.S. Championship game, 10-7

The Lake Mary All-Stars won the U.S. Championship game on Saturday, defeating Texas 10-7, to advance to the LLWS World Championship game.

Lake Mary overcame a 4-0 deficit, scoring multiple runs in the later innings to secure the victory. This game set the All-Stars up to face the Asia-Pacific team, Chinese Taipei, from Taiwan, in the World Championship game.

Downtown Lake Mary parade

A huge celebratory parade is in the works for the Lake Mary All-Stars.

On Saturday, August 31, the City of Lake Mary will host a parade in downtown Lake Mary to celebrate the team's success. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. 

Additional details would be released, the city said in a Facebook post.

"Join us for a day filled with excitement as we celebrate the incredible hard work, dedication, and sportsmanship of our young athletes and their coaches. This is a tribute you won’t want to miss—come be part of this once in a lifetime community celebration and cheer on our champions!!"

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