Tournament Results:
Day 1 (Friday, August 6):
Orchard Mesa (Colorado) 11, Tulsa American (Oklahoma) 2
Pearland White (Texas East) 7, Eagle Pass American (Texas West) 5
Arkadelphia (Arkansas) 4, Altamont (New Mexico) 1
Day 2 (Saturday, August 7):
Eagle Pass American (Texas West) 5, Ocean Springs (Mississippi) 4 (7 innings)
Orchard Mesa (Colorado) 6, Altamont (New Mexico) 3
Pearland White (Texas East) 12, Lincoln Parish (Louisiana) 2 (4 innings)
Day 3 (Sunday, August 8):
Altamont (New Mexico) 11, Tulsa American (Oklahoma) 6
Lincoln Parish (Louisiana) 14, Ocean Springs (Mississippi) 4 (4 innings)
Arkadelphia (Arkansas) 11, Orchard Mesa (Colorado) 1 (5 innings)
Day 4 (Monday, August 9):
Pearland White (Texas East) 13, Ocean Springs (Mississippi) 2 (4 innings)
Arkadelphia (Arkansas) 10, Tulsa American (Oklahoma) 3
Eagle Pass American (Texas West) 14, Lincoln Parish (Louisiana) 1 (4 innings)
Pool 'A' Standings |
W |
L |
Runs Allowed |
Arkadelphia (Arkansas) |
3 |
0 |
5 |
Orchard Mesa (Colorado) |
2 |
1 |
16 |
Altamont (New Mexico) |
1 |
2 |
16 |
Tulsa American (Oklahoma) |
0 |
3 |
32 |
|
Pool 'B' Standings |
W |
L |
Pearland White (Texas East) |
3 |
0 |
9 |
Eagle Pass American (Texas West) |
2 |
1 |
12 |
Lincoln Parish (Louisiana) |
1 |
2 |
30 |
Ocean Springs (Mississippi) |
0 |
3 |
32 |
The top two teams in each pool advance to the semifinal round.
Ties are broken based on records in head-to-head competition among tied teams. If a clear winner cannot be determined from head-to-head results, the tie is broken by calculating the ratio of runs allowed to defensive innings played for all teams involved in the tie. The team with the lowest runs-per-defensive-inning ratio advances.
In the event of a tie involving three or more teams, once the initial tie is broken, the remaining tied teams are again compared on head-to-head record to determine if a clear winner can be identified. If no clear winner can be identified from head-to-head results among the remaining tied teams, the runs-per-defensive-inning ratio is again used. This process is repeated until all ties have been broken.
Southwestern Region Tournament Semifinals (Tuesday, August 8)
Eagle Pass American (Texas West) 5, Arkadelphia (Arkansas) 4
Pearland White (Texas East) 10, Orchard Mesa (Colorado) 0 (4 innings)
Southwestern Region Tournament Championship Game (Thursday, August 12)
Pearland White (Texas East) 5, Eagle Pass American (Texas West) 3 (TITLE)
Summary:
Pearland White Little League traveled great distances to reach the Southwestern Region championship game: fifteen wins over the course of five weeks spanning four levels of tournament play.
The journey brought the Texas East champions to the doorstep to the Little League World Series. Pearland needed just three batters to knock the door down.
First baseman Jorge Gutierrez slammed a three-run home run three batters into the Southwestern Region championship game, and sparked Pearland White to a 5-3 victory over Eagle Pass American (Texas West) Little League at Marvin Norcross Stadium in Waco, Texas.
With the win, the Texas East champions completed a five-game sweep of its region tournament opponents, and advanced to the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
"It hasn't sunk in at all," said Pearland manager Mike Orlando. "I guess we're going, aren't we?"
Gutierrez handed Pearland the early lead by lacing a 1-1 pitch over the right center field fence. Beau Orlando had opened the inning with a walk, and Blake Toler was hit by a pitch before both baserunners scored on the home run.
The offense provided an early cushion for pitcher Beau Orlando, who struck out seven batters over 4-2/3 innings for the winners. Orlando allowed Ricardo Gonzalez's solo home run in the bottom of the first inning, and Armando Lopez's two-run shot in the fifth. Reliever Mason Van Noort moved to the mound after Lopez's home run and retired the only four batters he faced to earn the save.
"He showed no nerves on Tuesday," noted Mike Orlando, referring the three hitless innings his nephew threw in Pearland's 10-0 semifinal round win. "(so) we figured 'what the heck, let's get him in there'."
Pearland entered the championship game hitting a robust .446 as a team, but managed just four hits in the championship game as Gonzalez and Lopez combined to strike out eleven batters. But three of Pearland's hits were home runs, and long balls provided all of the team's offense. Beau Orlando drove a 1-0 pitch over the left center field fence in the top of the second inning to extend Pearland White's lead, and pinch hitter Chris Leger added a solo shot in the top of the fifth.
"They've been doing this together since they were five or six years old," noted Mike Orlando of his team's performance. "We've got to beat up on each other from February to June 15th when we get to come together as all-stars."
At that point, Pearland began beating up on its opponents. Pearland lost just twice in eighteen games en route to the Little League World Series, and in both cases, avenged the loss by defeating the same team by a ten-run margin in a subsequent meeting. The win over Eagle Pass was the team's eleventh consecutive victory following a loss in sectional tournament competition. Pearland had defeated their Texas counterparts, 7-5, on the tournament's opening day.
Despite dropping both decisions against the eventual region champions, Eagle Pass was more successful than other Southwestern Region entrants at subduing Pearland's bats. Pearland's scorching offense collected double-digit hits and runs in its next three region tournament games, and each of the games was shortened to four innings by the mercy rule.
"There have only been two times in 17 games where we didn't score a lot of runs," noted Mike Orlando after his team eased past Orchard Mesa Little League (Grand Junction, Colorado) in the semifinal round. "We had one run in a rain-shortened game and we actually scored two runs in another game where everything we hit went right to the other team. I've got a lot of confidence our guys will continue to hit the ball."
Pearland scored in every inning of the semifinal round win, which was played in 100-plus degree weather despite a 5 p.m. starting time. Mason Van Noort drove in the team's first run in the opening frame, and added a second run-scoring hit to cap a three-run burst in the second. Beau Orlando doubled in a pair and then scored himself in the third, and Pearland capped the scoring when Jake Orlando and Hunter Smith both homered in the fourth.
"After we only gave up one in the first, I thought that was a good sign," said Orchard Mesa manager Pete Steves. "But (Pearland) was a tough bunch of kids, and they started scoring three an inning instead of one."
The string of big innings were familiar to fans who had followed Pearland White in the tournament: the Texans tallied at least three runs in three of their four offensive innings in a 12-2 victory over Lincoln Parish Little League (Ruston, Louisiana) in their second pool contest, then did the same in a 13-2 decision over Ocean Springs (Mississippi) that closed out pool competition.
Beau Orlando led the way, collecting 12 hits in 16 at-bats in Waco, while homering four times, scoring ten runs, and driving in ten more. Smith sported a .500 batting average, and Caleb Maley hit .416 with eight runs batted in over five games.
Beau Orlando also excelled on the mound, both in the title game and in the semifinal round win over Orchard Mesa.
"Beau felt good," said Mike Orlando, who lifted his nephew despite the no-hitter after those three innings with an eye toward the championship game. "He told me before the game he was ready to throw, and he was really giving me a hard time about bringing him out at 35 pitches. But at that time... we were in good shape and needed to save him for Thursday's game."
That game would be a rematch with Eagle Pass, which bounced back from its opening day loss with three consecutive wins. The Texas West champions rallied past Arkadelphia (Arkansas) Little League, 5-4, in the other semifinal round matchup.
"We played them in the first game of this tournament, and they gave us a really good game," said Mike Orlando. "They're going to be a tough team."
Two days later, Gutierrez helped Pearland to an early lead, and Beau Orlando made it hold up as Pearland White won in what was the third all-Texas title game in the nine years since the Lone Star State began sending two teams to the region tournament in 2002.
Pearland White won three of four games to win its four-team pool at the Little League World Series, and finished the tournament as the United States runner-up.
Linescores:
Pool Play Game 1 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
|
R |
H |
E |
Tulsa American (Oklahoma) |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
2 |
4 |
2 |
Orchard Mesa (Colorado) |
2 |
6 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
x |
|
|
11 |
11 |
1 |
|
|
Pool Play Game 2 |
Pearland White (Texas East) |
4 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
7 |
13 |
0 |
Eagle Pass American (Texas West) |
1 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
5 |
9 |
0 |
|
|
Pool Play Game 3 |
Altamont (New Mexico) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
1 |
6 |
1 |
Arkadelphia (Arkansas) |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
x |
|
|
4 |
3 |
0 |
|
|
Pool Play Game 4 |
Ocean Springs (Mississippi) |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
4 |
8 |
2 |
Eagle Pass American (Texas West) |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
5 |
7 |
1 |
|
|
Pool Play Game 5 |
Orchard Mesa (Colorado) |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
|
|
6 |
3 |
5 |
Altamont (New Mexico) |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
3 |
7 |
3 |
|
|
Pool Play Game 6 |
Pearland White (Texas East) |
2 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
|
|
|
|
12 |
11 |
1 |
Lincoln Parish (Louisiana) |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
Pool Play Game 7 |
Altamont (New Mexico) |
2 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
11 |
9 |
2 |
Tulsa American (Oklahoma) |
0 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
6 |
4 |
5 |
|
|
Pool Play Game 8 |
Ocean Springs (Mississippi) |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
4 |
7 |
2 |
Lincoln Parish (Louisiana) |
4 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
|
|
|
|
14 |
14 |
3 |
|
|
Pool Play Game 9 |
Orchard Mesa (Colorado) |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
1 |
3 |
1 |
Arkadelphia (Arkansas) |
3 |
0 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
|
|
|
11 |
12 |
0 |
|
|
Pool Play Game 10 |
Pearland White (Texas East) |
0 |
6 |
3 |
4 |
|
|
|
|
13 |
12 |
2 |
Ocean Springs (Mississippi) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
|
|
|
2 |
4 |
3 |
|
|
Pool Play Game 11 |
Arkadelphia (Arkansas) |
0 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
|
|
10 |
9 |
0 |
Tulsa American (Oklahoma) |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
3 |
1 |
5 |
|
|
Pool Play Game 12 |
Eagle Pass American (Texas West) |
9 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
14 |
14 |
0 |
Lincoln Parish (Louisiana) |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
1 |
4 |
4 |
|
|
Semifinal Round |
Arkadelphia (Arkansas) |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
4 |
9 |
3 |
Eagle Pass American (Texas West) |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
5 |
8 |
1 |
|
|
Semifinal Round |
Pearland White (Texas East) |
1 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
|
|
|
10 |
10 |
1 |
Orchard Mesa (Colorado) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
0 |
1 |
3 |
|
|
Championship Game |
Pearland White (Texas East) |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
5 |
4 |
0 |
Eagle Pass American (Texas West) |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
|
|
3 |
8 |
1 |
|
|
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Last revision: 06/12/2011