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Texas KOs California in 8th inn. off homer

Three times Southwest Region champ Pearland, Texas, manager Andrew Solomon pinch-hit for third baseman Caleb Low.

Low never gave Solomon a chance to do so in the eighth inning. And the manager sure is happy.

Low delivered the hit of his life, and maybe the biggest in Pearland Little League history, crushing a two-run walk-off, eighth-inning home run that lifted Texas to a thrilling, back and forth 9-7 win over West champ Bonita, California.

“I knew I had to come through,” Low said. “It felt amazing. I never thought I would hit a walk-off home run. I feel awesome. I can’t even think right now.”

Ben Gottfried hit a game-tying, eighth-inning home run and Texas overcame three separate deficits to reach Saturday’s U.S. Final against Mid-Atlantic Region champ Lewisberry, Pennsylvania. Pearland becomes the second team from its league to reach the U.S. Final, joining its 2010 squad.

Low made it happen in the eighth after racing toward the batter’s box following a Zack Mack walk. Solomon did not realize Low was hitting until he saw him in the batter’s box. Sometimes the best moves are the ones not made and Low proved it.

“Caleb ran out of the dugout so fast that I didn’t have a choice,” Solomon said. “That’s the honest truth. I look in and see Caleb in there and I’m like, ‘keep your eye on it and drive it hard,’ and he did.”

Texas overcame deficits of 3-0, 6-4 and 7-6 and defeated California for the second time at the Series. Now it gets a rematch with the only team that beat it this summer.

California took a 7-6 eighth-inning lead when Jacob Baptista hit an RBI single. Texas, though, was unfazed and continued fighting back.

Gottfried drilled a leadoff home run over the left-center field wall and immediately gave Texas a huge jolt.

“Pure power,” Gottfried said as he smiled.

Mack, who had five RBIs, followed Gottfried with a walk and that set the stage for Low who struck out in his only previous at-bat. Low worked 1-0 count and then unloaded, driving his two-run home run over the left-center field wall.

Low threw his arms in the air as he sprinted around the bases before being engulfed by his happy teammates at home. A fierce competitor, Low had been down on himself somewhat because he had not been hitting the way he liked.

Solomon said every coach gave Low a pep talk Thursday. Low continued working and believing. And it paid off at the perfect time.

“He will remember that for the rest of his life,” California manager Ward Lannom said. “What a moment.”

“The lesson there is you stick with it,” Solomon said. “To see Caleb step up tonight is awesome for us as coaches and awesome for him as a young man.”

Immediately, Texas was against the ropes Thursday night as Walker Lannom hit a three-run, first-inning home run and gave California a 3-0 lead. Texas again was behind 6-4 in the fourth inning but tied the game after Mack hit a fourth-inning RBI single and Marco Gutierrez drilled a fifth-inning, leadoff home run.

Texas has won a lot of games this summer via blowouts but its toughness has equaled its talent at the Series. It beat Oregon, 1-0, in its Series debut and handed California its only two losses this summer, doing so the hard way Thursday.

Mack erased that first-inning deficit with one swing, hitting a full-count pitch high into the night air for a grand slam down the left-field line. He accounted for all of Texas’ first five runs.

“The first inning when we got down it was like we still have five more innings well, seven more innings tonight,” winning pitcher Isaac Garcia said. “We still felt confident. Three-0 is nothing for us.”

Gottfried and Garcia again contained an explosive California offense. Gottfried allowed four hits in 5 2/3 innings and struck out 10. Garcia worked 1 1/3 hitless innings and struck out two. Few teams had an answer for the California offense this summer, but Texas had its kryponite.

In two performances against California, Gottfried struck out 17 in nine innings.That is doubly impressive considering California scored nearly 300 runs this summer and hit 97 home runs.

California hit 15 Series home runs and the three last night accounted for all six runs. Levi Mendez capped an outstanding Series when he hit a game-tying, third-inning home run. Baptista then put California back ahead, hitting a towering two-run home run into the bushes well beyond the center-field wall.

“It was a great ride,” Ward Lannom said. “Who would have thought we’d be one of 7,000 teams left? This a great chapter in their lives and this is something nobody can ever take away from them. They have a lifetime of memories.”

Nate Nankil and Baptista did all they could to keep California alive and stranded 10 runners through the first six innings. Nankil struck out six and Baptista left the bases loaded in the fifth while leaving a runner on second in the sixth.

But Texas never buckled. When things were toughest, Texas was at its best.

“I told them this was like a fight and it was an eight-round fight,” Solomon said. “In the bottom of the eighth I said they landed a punch and now we have to hit them with a knockout punch.”

Low delivered it.

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