Summerlin South rallies to reach Little League region title game
An ugly win is still a win.
Summerlin South did it the hard way Tuesday, falling behind 8-0 before rallying to defeat Utah 22-12 at the Little League Mountain Region tournament in San Bernardino, California.
The win assured Summerlin South (2-0) a spot in the tournament’s championship game at 2 p.m. Friday against the winner of Thursday’s semifinal. A win Friday would put the Nevada team in the Little League World Series, which begins Aug. 13 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
“We believe in ourselves,” Summerlin South coach TJ Fechser said. “We compete in all six innings. If we hit the ball hard and put balls in play, good things happen.”
Summerlin South trailed by eight runs after the first inning after giving up six walks, four hits and a grand slam. But Utah was sloppy the next two innings. Summerlin South trailed 11-10 at the end of the third.
Cache Malan hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning that put the team ahead 13-11.
“We took advantage of their mistakes and struck back,” Fechser said.
Ethan Robertson, Brooks Fechser, Garrett Gallegos and Luke D’Ambrosio added RBI hits in the fifth inning that brought on the mercy rule.
Contact Jeff Wollard at jwollard@reviewjournal.com.