A Day at the Little League World Series

For all the years that I have lived in Central PA, I've never made the 75 minute trip east for the Little League World Series.  But with the kids making it through two Phillies games and three State College Spikes games this summer, and with a 'local' team in the LLWS for the first time in 40 years, this seemed like the right time to take a trip to Williamsport.

And as an added bonus: my good friend Jen was visiting her parents in nearby Montoursville for a long weekend away from her home in California and she joined us at the Little League Complex. 

I've lived most of my adult life in a town that is highly skilled at handling large crowds for big sporting events; Penn State's Beaver Stadium holds nearly 110K people on a football Saturday, and so I often have the expectations that all towns are as well equipped as mine.  That's mostly true for Williamsport and the Little League organization... I think they did a fantastic job of moving crowds into the parking lot, of providing shuttles to take people from the lot to the gate, and getting folks through the security check points and into the stadium (we got out ahead of the crowd at the end, so I can't really comment on a mass exit).

The one thing that's lacking, and there's quite honestly not much that can be done about it, is a good set of roads pointing in several directions to move traffic in and out of the area.  The LLWS started in the late 1940s and I am sure the stadium location, roads in and out, etc. were quite adequate back then.  I'll bet they're just fine too in most years - but they're averaging well over fans 30,000 even in the early rounds this year simply because of the 11 boys from Lock Haven that are representing the Mid-Atlantic region (that's better than quite a few MLB teams are managing).

We arrived in time to catch the 4:00 game at Lamade Stadium, pitting the Great Lakes champion against the Southeast winner.  I remember Great Lakes from Keystone's opening game... a heartbreaking 1-0 loss, two kids tagged out at home plate.  I think all the kids playing in the tournament are fantastic; they handle the pressure of playing on a national stage, in front of a huge crowd, ESPN cameras everywhere, and long TV breaks between innings, incredibly well for such young kids.  I'm so glad we went and wish it were possible to head back later this week... for sure I'll plan to go again with the kids next year.

The Great Lakes vs. Southeast game had all the drama and excitement you could want from a little league game.  The kids play with their hearts on their sleeves and their excitement was so fun to watch, their heartbreak so sad.  A 2-0 lead for Great Lakes quickly turned to a 5-2 deficit just an inning later.  After a pitching change, Great Lakes battled back, tying things up in the 5th inning.  A scoreless 6th took the kids into extra innings and the game was finally decided in the 9th inning, after a passed ball allowed one Southeast kid to score during pitcher Jake Fromm's at-bat (Fromm then hit a two-run homer for added insurance) before he pitched a scoreless bottom of the inning to secure the win.  Exciting?  Absolutely! 

We grabbed a quick bite to eat and strolled down to Volunteer Stadium to watch Japan and Saudi Arabia play.  We missed much of the action, first because we were late to arrive... the score was already 5-4 in favor of Japan when we sat down, and we missed Japan's eight run 6th inning because we'd already left to find seats on the hillside for the marquee event - the local boys representing the Mid-Atlantic versus the Southwest team from Louisiana.

The final game of the day was definitely worth the drive to Williamsport, though the seating arrangements left much to be desired.  It was easy to get seats in the grandstand for the first game but the lines waiting for seats for the final game of the night wrapped around the stadium by the final out of the Great Lakes vs. Southeast game; there was no way we were going to get stadium seats and quite honestly, I am not sure that I would have wanted them.  The idea of sitting among tens of thousands of Keystone supporters on the famed hills of Lamade Stadium was all part of the experience.  What I didn't realize however is that the hills that go beyond those you can see on TV are STEEP!  All day long, kids were sliding down the hills with cardboard boxes and it was fun to watch them... at least until it was time to climb the hill and find my own place to sit and watch the game.

Keystone jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the 1st inning and Jen used that as her cue to head out of the stadium knowing all too well the traffic snare that was to come (we're told that it took nearly 90 minutes to clear the parking lot after the opening game on Friday night).  At that point, we figured we'd stay until the end of the 4th inning, leaving us plenty of time to get out of the lot before the game was over.  A seven-run second inning changed that plan.  Quickly checking about the 10-run rule online, we decide to pack it in, just in case... after all, with Keystone as the home team, the game could end after the middle of the 4th inning. 

The boys held the 10-0 lead and the game was called as expected... another big win for a team that has really gotten Central PA excited about Little League baseball in a way I don't think it has been for a long time.  I wish I could have been sitting at Lamade Stadium again tonight when the boys earned their thrilling 7-5 win over Southeast in the final game of the day.  I've never been so enthusiastic to watch Little League baseball and even found myself passing over the Phillies to watch the boys from Lock Haven tonight.  No matter what happens from this point forward, those kids have captivated the region and should be nothing but proud of all that they've accomplished this year.

Thanks, Keystone, for making the Little League World Series so much fun this year!!!  See you Thursday night.