Erik Lipson and Scott Bandura recall their glory days with the Little League Taney Dragons

Erik Lipson and his family take a trip to Michigan every August where they have a vacation home. For the last four years, on their way back they have stopped in Williamsport, Pa., to catch the Little League World Series.

This has been an added wrinkle to the trip because Erik and his Taney Dragons baseball team played in the Little League World Series almost five years ago.

Lipson was 12 during the Dragons’ magical run in the summer of 2014. He is now a junior pitcher and first baseman for Girard Academic Music Program (GAMP) in the Philadelphia Public League.

Scott Bandura, also in his junior year, catches and plays outfield for Springside Chestnut Hill Academy. Bandura was the Dragons’ catcher when Mo’ne Davis not only became the first girl pitcher to win a game in the Little League World Series, but to pitch a shutout, to boot. She wound up on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Davis also attends Springside Chestnut Hill, where she plays soccer, basketball, and softball, and has committed to play softball at Hampton (Va.) University.

As Lipson watches the series each year from the stands, he can relate to the journey of reaching Williamsport.

“We had to win several games in order to get there,” said Lipson, whose Dragons made it all the way to the U.S. championship semifinals, where they lost, 6-5, to a team from Chicago that went on to win the Little League World Series, only to later be stripped of the title for using ineligible players. “I know all the teams that were there worked very hard to get there. So I salute them for that.”

Lipson and Bandura said that they didn’t feel like celebrities while they were playing in Williamsport. It wasn’t until they got back to Philly that their level of fame sank in.

The team was celebrated at numerous events for about a year. Lipson recalls there being an appearance every weekend. Some were more glamorous than others, such as the city hosting a parade for the team, the Dragons throwing out the first pitch at a Phillies game, and being featured in the 2014 Thanksgiving Day parade.

One of Bandura’s favorite memories was appearing with Davis on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Lipson and Bandura are still in touch with several of their teammates from that 2014 team. On his school team, Bandura still plays with Jack Rice, Jahli Hendricks, Jared Sprague-Lott, and Carter Davis. But they don’t talk about the their summer in Williamsport as much as they used to.

“We’ve been friends for so long," Bandura said. “There’s so much stuff for us to talk about, other memories that were just as good.”

In five shutout innings for GAMP this season, Lipson has 10 strikeouts. Last year, the left-hander went 6-2 with a 1.77 ERA and 106 strikeouts in 75⅓ innings, which earned him first-team All-Public League honors. He’s off to a .684 start at the plate, with 11 RBIs.

Lipson said he wants to play baseball professionally. His fastball tops out at 82 mph, but he has been able to locate it and use his offspeed pitches to put hitters away. Over the summer for his Arsenal travel team, Lipson struck out 15 batters in a complete game against a team from St. Louis. He hopes to be drafted after his senior season, and also has been in contact with several colleges to leave his options open. Given the choice, Lipson said he would like to attend a local college.

“I was born in Philly. I played in the Little League World Series [for a Philly team]. I’m playing Philadelphia Public League baseball now, and some day I’d love to play in the MLB for none other than the Philadelphia Phillies,” he said. “You could say I love all things Philadelphia.”

Bandura didn’t get much playing time as a sophomore but now starts in the outfield for Springside Chestnut Hill. He also has played soccer and basketball for the school since his freshman year.

During the summer with the Anderson Monarchs, Bandura’s tournament team, the left-handed batter hit .541 with 21 runs and 15 RBIs last season.

Bandura, who has grown a foot since the Little League World Series and is now 6-foot-3, has been in talks with Penn, Stony Brook, La Salle, and Southern about playing college baseball.

Lipson and Bandura said that this year in school and summer ball will be key in where they will land next. And though Lipson, Bandura, and the rest of their former Taney teammates are destined for other things as life goes on, they’ll always be the stars of the 2014 summer who captured the hearts of many in Philadelphia.

“Sometimes we’ll hear songs that were played all the time when we were there, and that will jog all of our memories, and we’ll look at each other,” Bandura said. “So there are these small moments that makes us think back and really remind us of that great summer we had.”