A pair of wins in shortened games on Tuesday has put the Long Beach PONY 14U All-Stars back into the PONY World Series championship game for the fourth time in the last 12 years. They play Chinese Taipei on Wednesday (4:30 p.m. PST) in Washington, Pennsylvania.
The championship will be streamed live at mlb.com and there will be a viewing party at Legends.
Heavy rains canceling games on Monday forced the PONY World Series to play six games on Tuesday by shortening them to five innings for the first time in its 66-year history.
Long Beach defeated Tijuana, Mexico 8-2 in the first game of the day largely thanks to a complete-game pitching performance from Jake Ehmann, who stuck out 10 batters.
Brownsville, Texas took a 4-1 lead over Long Beach in the night cap, but the local boys came storming back with four runs in the third inning. Ryan Geck’s two-run home run capped the rally. With the game tied in the fifth inning, Long Beach loaded the bases, and Sam DeCarlo delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly that scored Ryan Skjonsby.
The 14U All-Stars won three tournaments this summer to reach the PONY World Series. This is their fifth appearance in the last 12 years after winning the title in 2008 and 2012.
“This team has been inspiring, resilient, and amazing with a wonderful group of players, fans, and families,” Long Beach PONY president and manager Ken Jakemer said. “It’s such an honor to be able to lead these young men.”
The 14U All-Stars were largely dominant in District, Super-Region and Zone tournament wins. They posted a 13-1 record while outscoring their opponents 174-41.
On Sunday, Long Beach opened the 10-team PONY World Series tournament with an 8-0 victory over the Bronx, New York. Adam Cramer, Ryan Geck and Bren Wilkinson produced four RBIs and six runs scored at the top of the Long Beach order.
