LLWS California overuns Japan
The way Pratto threw his helmet in the air and skipped around first base after his game-winning single, it was hard to tell the 12-year-old first baseman had done anything wrong Sunday in the first place.
The boys from Huntington Beach were all smiles after Pratto’s solid liner to center with the bases loaded and two outs scored pinch-runner Eric Anderson for the winning run in a 2-1 victory Sunday over Hamamatsu City, Japan, to take the tournament title.
California returned the World Series title to the United States with the type of victory even the big leaguers dream about. A U.S. team has won six of the past seven World Series, with Japan’s win last year the exception.
“It has a nice ring to it,” Pratto said when asked what it was like to be called a champ.
It was a fitting end to a tense game marked by excellent pitching and timely defense.
Braydon Salzman pitched a complete-game three-hitter for the win and struck out nine. Japan starter Shoto Totsuka struck out five over 4 1-3 innings, giving up a homer to right to California slugger Hagen Danner.
The teams exchanged handshakes at the plate before California’s giddy players posed at the mound with their new championship banner.