Off to Williamsport: South Hill to represent Northwest in Little League World Series
Puyallup, pack your bags for Williamsport.
South Hill Little League is dancing to the Little League World Series, crowned the Northwest representative for the annual classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, from August 14-25.
And what is perhaps equally marvelous to their World Series berth is the stunning comeback story of how they got there.
Down to its final out, South Hill trailed by a run, 6-5, in the top of the sixth inning of Thursday’s Northwest Regional Championship. Shortstop Rawly Jennings took strike one, then swung at strike two.
His next, live-or-die swing? A hard-hit, ground-ball double to left. South Hill had life.
Brayden Blair walked, passing the baton. Second baseman Connor Morey singled home Jennings, prompting the floodgates to burst: South Hill would rally for eight runs in that final frame, shocking West Valley (ID) Little League for an eventual 13-7 win in the San Bernardino, CA, title game.
South Hill third baseman Jett Taylor delivered ever-so-valuable insurance with a three-run home run to dead center field in the sixth, finishing 2-for-3 with two runs and five RBI.
This was a rematch -- and revenge -- for an Aug. 3 loss to West Valley, 6-4, in the regional tournament’s opener. South Hill wouldn’t lose again, victorious over Alaska’s Abbott-O-Rabbit Little League on Aug. 5 (11-4) and Oregon’s Bend North Little League on Aug. 7 (14-5).
For a fourth straight year, Washington state sends a representative to Little League’s grandest stage. In 2023, Northeast Seattle Little League raced to the Northwest regional bid, going 2-2 across four games in Williamsport.
South Hill takes the field for the first time in Williamsport on Friday, Aug. 16, at 7 p.m. Its opponent still undetermined, Puyallup awaits the Southeast-Midwest winner in an Aug. 14 play-in round.
The 2024 Little League World Series bracket can be found here.
Founded in 1947, the current Little League World Series features 20 teams of players ages 10 through 12 vying for the title, including international representatives. Japan’s Tokyo-Kitasuna Little League holds the all-time record with four championships. California owns the most in-state titles (eight).
