Endwell Wins NY's First Little League World Series Title in Half-Century

The team from the Binghamton suburb beat South Korea 2-1, becoming the first U.S. winner since Huntington Beach, California, in 2011

A team from the Southern Tier hamlet of Endwell has given New York State its first Little League World Series championship in more than 50 years.

Ryan Harlost led Endwell, a Binghamton suburb, to the title, striking out eight and limiting South Korea to five hits in six innings in a 2-1 victory Sunday.

Endwell became the first U.S. winner since Huntington Beach, California, in 2011, and gave New York its first championship since 1964.

"I was a little nervous at first in front of a lot of people but it's just another game and I felt confident going in," Harlost said.

"I was a little nervous at first in front of a lot of people but it's just another game and I felt confident going in," Harlost said.

Conner Rush had the New York team's only RBI to give Endwell a lead it wouldn't relinquish in the bottom of the fourth. Harlost (2-0) scored the deciding run on a passed ball a batter later.

"I was just thinking get it in play any way you can," Rush said. "Once that happens, you never know what can happen."

Junho Jeong (1-2) gave up two runs on four hits and struck out nine for South Korea. He threw 3 1/3 innings of no-hit ball before Jude Abbadessa broke through in the fourth.

Yoomin Lee homered for the Asia-Pacific champs from Seoul, but struck out with runners on first and second to end the game.

Most of New York's players had been on other teams together before. More than half of them were on the team that fell to last year's World Series runner-up Red Land in the Mid-Atlantic Region Championship, leaving them one win shy of qualifying for a trip to South Williamsport.

"It was all of our last years of Little League," Rush said. "So it's just awesome to know that we all came together to be the best team in the world."

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us