East Side Little League falls 6-5 to Phenix City, ending its run in Williamsport
The West Chester team, whose tournament ended, led 5-0 early before the Alabama team came back to tie, and then win it in extra innings.
East Side Little League, a 12-and-under baseball team from West Chester, saw its run in Williamsport end in a heartbreaker.
On Monday, East Side fell 6-5 to Phenix City Youth Baseball LL and was eliminated from the Little League World Series. Powered by its stellar hitting, East Side came out to an early 5-0 lead. However, a big third inning from Phenix City led the team from Alabama’s comeback.
Trailing 5-0 with two outs in the third, Phenix City leftfielder Cooper Champion stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and ripped a single to right field, scoring two runners. Phenix City added two runs before the inning was capped off by an RBI single from pitcher Kinley Rasmus.
Rasmus is just the 25th girl to appear in a Little League World Series game.
» READ MORE: West Chester’s East Side Little League soaking up the Little League World Series experience despite opening loss
The game stayed tied at 5-5 until extra innings, when Phenix City catcher Brooks Cameron hit a single to bring home Urijah Berklite with the winning run in the bottom of the seventh.
East Side’s Cole Warner scored a run in the first before launching a home run to center field in the third, scoring two runs and giving his team a 5-0 lead. After starting the game at center field, Warner moved to the mound in the fourth inning. He allowed just one run while collecting six strikeouts to close out the game.
East Side outfielder Ryan Hennessey, son of coach Bob Hennessey, collected two runs and a two-run RBI before Phenix City stormed back.
The loss marks East Side’s second of the tournament in as many appearances. The team, which battled out of the loser’s bracket in the Pennsylvania state tournament, gained significant support from the Greater Philadelphia area after cruising through the Mid-Atlantic regionals. In West Chester, watch parties, filled with East Side alumni and fans, sprung up around the borough.
In Williamsport, the East Side players were able to interact and befriend peers from all over the world — even bunking with Japan’s 12-and-under team. They also had the chance to meet professional players from the Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves before the Little League World Series MLB Classic.
“It’s just a dream come true, to be honest,” Hennessey previously told The Inquirer. “That’s every Little Leaguer’s dream. It was my dream growing up to see these boys get here and get to experience it. Nothing but amazing.”
