A Riverside County Little League all-star team aiming for the Little League World Series fell just short, losing 2-1 to Hawaii on Friday night.

The game, which pitted the Eastvale Little League All-Stars against the Central East Maui Little League All-Stars from Wailuku, Hawaii, decided which team would earn the final spot in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Eastvale won its first two games in the West Region Tournament, including a 11:3 victory over Hawaii on Tuesday afternoon in a game where the heat was 39 degrees.

They finished 15-2 in four tournaments this summer after qualifying for the West Region Tournament by winning the 10-team Southern California State Tournament. They won their final seven games in the double-elimination tournament after losing their opening game.

Despite today’s result, the Eastvale Little Leaguers have already made a name for themselves in Southern California history as the first team in Riverside County to ever participate in the regional Little League Baseball tournament.

The championship game of the Little League Baseball West Region tournament was played at Al Houghton Stadium in San Bernardino and was televised on ESPN.

Last year The El Segundo All-Star team won the 2023 Little League World Series title with a 6-5 victory over Curacao, culminating in an electrifying walk-off home run that brought the overall victory.