Monday, August 27, 2007
The 12-year-old slugger connected in the eighth inning to beat Tokyo, 3-2.
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — Dalton Carriker couldn’t feel his legs as he rounded the bases.
His home run in the bottom of the eighth had just given Warner Robins, Ga., a thrilling 3-2 victory over Tokyo to win the Little League World Series title.
“I felt like I was flying, like Peter Pan,” Carriker said. “I didn’t know what I was doing.”
Adrenaline took over from there, said the 12-year-old slugger with braces.
His dramatic home run over the right-field wall off a 2-1 pitch from Japan’s Junsho Kiuchi gave the United States three straight Little League championships.
“USA! USA!” cried the Georgia-partisan crowd as dozens of fans waved American flags. Columbus, Ga., won the crown last year, and Ewa Beach, Hawaii, in 2005.
“They’re not greedy kids,” relieved manager Mickey Lay said. “They just enjoy playing the game. That’s something that we miss sometimes.”
Celebration
They sure had fun after Carriker’s homer. The jubilant players from Warner Robins hugged him as he reached the plate. Lay lost his hat after joining his team in celebration following a tense game marked by excellent pitching.
Georgia reliever Kendall Scott struck out 10 and allowed one hit over five-plus innings to quiet Japan’s bats after Georgia fell behind 2-0 early.
Scott, 12, had watched Japan’s impressive hitters throughout the tournament.
“Going out there today, throwing the ball, I was scared to death on the first pitch,” he said.
Scott left the game in the top of the eighth, with Zane Conlon getting the last out.
That set up Carriker’s game-winning homer. The slugger, hitting .769 entering Sunday’s game, was 0-for-2 with a walk when he came up in the eighth.
Said a prayer
He said a little prayer before settling himself in the batter’s box.
“God, please give me the strength to get a hit and help my team out,” Carriker said in recounting his prayer.
There was no doubt about his opposite-field shot off Kiuchi, which easily cleared the right-field fence 225 feet away from the plate.
Japan manager Youichi Kubo, who managed Japan to the 2001 Little League crown, tried to console his pitcher afterward.
“I told Junsho that when you are a reliever these things can happen,” Kubo said through a translator. “I told him that he has a bright future and not to let this homer affect that.”