SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KABC) — Riverside County’s Eastvale Little League team defeated Hawaii in a semifinal game to move one step closer to its goal of qualifying for the World Series.

“We’re definitely ready for Friday,” coach Corey Tatum said of the championship game of the Little League Baseball West Region tournament.

The young players said they had a lot of fun playing – and winning!

“We stick together, we’ve always done that in the last few tournaments, and we’ve built a really good bond,” said player Gavin Cruz. “We help each other with almost everything we do.”

With the regional game taking place not far from the boys’ hometown, it’s almost like they have home-field advantage. This Eastvale team is the first in all of Riverside County to make it this far.

“When you play and see how many people come to the game just to watch you, it’s really fun,” says Grady Gentner.

Regardless of the result, the young players can expect a lot of cheering this Friday.

“As long as you’re having fun, nothing can stop us. Nothing can stop us,” Tatum said.

Southern California teams have a long history of success in the Little League World Series. El Segundo won the championship last year. The Granada Hills team won in 1963, and Long Beach won in 1992 and 1993. Huntington Beach won in 2011. Teams from the San Diego area won in 2009 and 1961.

You can watch the Eastvale Little Leaguers game this Friday at 6 p.m. on ESPN.