With the game tied in the last inning, El Segundo’s leading home run hitter Louis Lappe had a good feeling as he stepped to the plate.
“I just knew it was gone even before the ball hit the bat,” Lappe said shortly after knocking the ball clear across the left field wall to win the Little League World Series on Sunday against Pabao Little League of Willemstad, Curacao, in Williamsport, Pa.
In El Segundo, hundreds of fans who had jammed into downtown’s Rock & Brews sports bar to watch the game on big-screen TVs erupted in cheers, high-fived one another and sang “We Are the Champions” as the popular anthem blasted from the bar’s speakers. They continued the celebration in the streets as others poured out of neighboring bars and restaurants.
Lynn Newman, middle, of El Segundo celebrates at Rock & Brews in El Segundo.
(Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)
“This was such an amazing experience, and I feel like their win is a win for all of us,” said Nicole Alpert, 18, who sported a pink and white baseball cap with the phrase “Raising Gundo.” “It’s been so lively around town, to believe in them, to believe in each other. It’s all so positive.”
The El Segundo 12U All Stars’ battle to the top galvanized the small Southern California beachside community, known as “Mayberry by the Sea,” and captivated the rest of the region’s sports world. Well wishes for the team — whose players’ ages ranged from 10 to 12 — poured in ahead of the game from some of the Dodgers’ and Lakers’ biggest stars, including Mookie Betts and LeBron James.
El Segundo had to win five consecutive elimination games to become the first team from California to capture the world title since Huntington Beach Ocean View in 2011. It is the eighth Little League World Series title won by a California team.
El Segundo manager Danny Bohle, left, congratulates Louis Lappe as they celebrate after his game-winning home run off of…