Vonn Fe'ao has quite a story to tell his friends when he returns home to Hawaii.
Jurickson Profar does, too, after he flies back to Willemstad, Curacao.
Before they head home, though, they've got one more game remaining in Pennsylvania to decide which player's story will end with the Little League World Series title.
Fe'ao escaped a bases-loaded jam for West Oahu of Ewa Beach, Hawaii with a double play in the top of the fifth inning, then hit a homer in the bottom of the inning in a 6-1 victory over Rancho Buena Vista of Vista, California in the US championship game.
Profar, a lanky right-handed pitcher, battled bouts of wildness but still struck out 12 batters while also singling and scoring a run to help Curacao, the defending champs, beat Chiba City, Japan, 2-0 in the international title game.
Fe'ao, who started the US game at third base, came to the mound with Hawaii (5-0) up 4-1 as a reliver with one out and runners on second and third in the top of the fifth. He hit the first batter to load the bases.
But Fe'ao got the next hitter, slugger Kalen Pimentel, to pop weakly to shortstop. Kini Enos then threw to second to easily get pinch-runner Dylan Demeyer, who was caught too far off base, ending the threat from Rancho Buena Vista (4-1).
In the bottom of the fifth, Fe'ao hit his high shot that landed beyond the hedges in left field and set off a scramble for the souvenir among fans camped out on a grassy hill.
Which moment was bigger, Vonn?
"Getting out of the jam," Fe'ao, 12, said after the game.
What did he feel?
"Relief," he answered, allowing a momentary grin.
His manager, Layton Aliviado, later piped in and showed a little more emotion.
"We're happy. We don't show it, but we're happy," said Aliviado, smiling.
Rancho Buena Vista's Daniel Gibney grounded out to second to end the game. After the final out, first baseman Layson Aliviado -- the manager's son -- gripped the ball in his glove and raised his hands in jubilation.
Teammates raised their index fingers in the air to signal "No. 1."
"I just have faith in these boys. We came and said our prayers," Layton Aliviado said.
California and Hawaii had just two hits apiece in the game, and Hawaii has just three hits over its last two games.
But two of those hits are homers, including Fe'ao's blast on Saturday.
Rancho Buena Vista threatened in the fifth inning after Gibney tripled into the right-field corner, then later slid home safely on a wild pitch.
Five batters later, Pimentel came to bat after getting a pat on the back from manager Marty Miller. He was the hitter Rancho Buena Vista fans wanted at the plate with the bases loaded, after having hit two grand slams already in the tournament.
But Pimentel popped up the first pitch he saw from Fe'ao to start the inning-ending double play. Miller said later that his slugger normally doesn't swing at the first pitch.
"You can only go to the well so many times," he said.
Profar and Curacao got even for a 9-0 loss to Japan earlier in the tournament, and returned to the title game a second straight year.
Reliever Jeremy Affeldt threw away a potential game-ending double play, and the New York Yankees rallied for five runs in the ninth inning to beat the Kansas City Royals 8-7 Saturday.
After the error, pinch-hitter Tino Martinez hit a run-scoring single, Derek Jeter had a two-run single off Shawn Camp (1-3), Gary Sheffield tied the score with a two-out double and Alex Rodriguez followed with the winning single.
RSS