SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Before a crowd of more than 42,000 people, the Red Land Little League team took the field in South Williamsport on Sunday afternoon. For them, just making it to the Little League World Series was a dream come true, let alone playing for the world championship. They faced the team from Tokyo, Japan.
The Japanese players got off to a solid start with a score of 2-0 after just a half an inning. When the boys from York County, Pennsylvania stepped up to the plate, they answered back in a big way scoring 10 runs. The plays included home runs by Dylan Rodenhaber and Jaden Henline, which drove in other runners.
Over the next five innings, Japan came back with 16 runs. It was enough to capture the 2015 Little League world championship with an 18-11 victory.
Despite the loss, the entire country is proud of the team from Red Land and especially fans in Pennsylvania and their hometown of Lewisberry. Hundreds of supporters packed local restaurants to cheer on the players and Pennsylvania’s Governor, Tom Wolf, cheered on the boys from the stands.
The team also raised thousands of dollars for the Four Diamonds Fund; donations were made for every home run they scored during the course of the series.
The United States remains without a Little League title since the 2011 victory by Huntington Beach, California. The four-year gap is the longest since 1994-97, when Venezuela, Taiwan (two times) and Mexico all won the LLWS championship.
