Lathan Norton was ill and did not play in the Little League World Series on Saturday, but he scored the decisive point in the championship on Sunday.
Lathan ran home after an overthrow from second base as Lake Mary, Florida, rallied, defeating Taiwan 2-1 in eight innings and claiming the title.
“It was the greatest feeling ever,” said Lathan, who had a fever of 102 degrees on Saturday but recovered before the championship. “I haven’t had time to process it all yet, but it feels like the most incredible feeling ever.”
Taiwan held on to a 1-0 lead from the first inning until Florida’s final at-bat. The Southeastern Region representatives hit more than Taiwan and had a runner on third base in three separate innings but failed to score a run.
Then, in the bottom of the sixth inning, Florida got runners on first and second base and DeMarcos Mieses, who had a strikeout in his previous two at-bats, delivered. By hitting the gap in shallow left field, he gave Chase Anderson enough time to sprint home and tie the game.
In the eighth inning, Lathan was on second base to begin the inning, as per rule. Hunter Alexander hit a bunt and the throw to first base went into the outfield. Florida players poured out of the dugout while Taiwan players collapsed.
“I just thought, ‘Stay fair, stay fair,'” Hunter said. “After the ball passes me, I say, ‘Let’s go!'”
Taiwan managed two walks in a row to start the game. After a bunt that advanced the runners and a pop out, Hu Yen-Chun hit a ball toward third base that bounced off James Feliciano. Chiu Wei-Che scored easily. But it was Taiwan’s only run.
For Florida, this is the first championship title in the ninth attempt. The Floridas overcame a 10-7 deficit against Texas in the semifinals on Saturday and scored five runs in the last at-bat.
“We came here to do something. We came here to do a job and today we got that job done,” Florida manager Jonathan Anderson said. “We lost to Texas but then we fought back and now we’re here to talk about how we won the whole thing.”
Taiwan was a dominant team in the LLWS from 1969, when it won its first league title, to 1996, when it won its 17th title. But they had only made it to the title game once since 2009, when they lost to California before Sunday. Lee Cheng-Ta coached both that team and this year’s club, Kuei-Shan Little League of Taoyuan, Taiwan. Last season, he led the same team — with a completely different roster — to a third-place finish.
Taiwan’s coaches, representing the Asia-Pacific region, declined to attend the post-match press conference.
