Some would say that is was not a banner weekend for the team from South Lake Charles. Obviously, it would have been great to be watching our guys right now in the final game of the 2008 World Series.
At the end of the day, the South Lake Charles Little League team spent all or part of their summer vacation doing something over 6200 teams could only consider in their dreams. And, along the way, they captured our hearts.
They started by becoming the Louisiana Little League Champions. This was a significant as Louisiana has a host of talent, including our ultimate challenger from neighboring Lafayette.
Then, they brought pride and recognition to Lake Charles and Louisiana by winning the Southwest Regional Championship. It was a privilege to be there in person to watch South Lake Charles play in Waco and a thrill to watch the game where Kennon Fontenot's home run tied the game and forced an extra inning. An inning that SLC ultimately won courtesy of a valiant team effort.
With barely a few days rest, the team traveled on to Williamsport to represent the Southwest Region in the Little League Baseball World Series. They accomplished something 4 previous Lake Charles teams had attempted. Not only did they win pool play, but finished in first position. They advanced to the US Finals against Hawaii.
In a game that will be talked about and second-guessed for some time, Lake Charles played Hawaii in front of a record-breaking crowd. Hawaii prevailed (7-5) and represents the West Region against Mexico in the World Series finals as I write this.
Sure, it would have been great to be in the finals, but what a thrill to compete so well against Japan in the consolation game. Given Japan's record for winning it all, the SLC team was in darn good company and held their own!
So guys, hold your heads and banners high! You brought pride to your hometown and have bragging rights as one of the top 4 teams in the World!
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