- London, United Kingdom -

 

For the first time in program history, London, United Kingdom has won the Pony European Zone Tournament. As the Zone champion, the team will be coming to the DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series (DSGPLWS) in August.

The team competed against Holland in the championship game, which kept fans on the edge of their seats until the very end. The game was tied four runs a piece until the sixth inning when, London took the lead and refused to surrender it.

Django Hendrickson lead off the inning with a single. He stole second before a strike out and gave London its first out of the inning. Matthew Furst knocked a double, scoring Hendrickson from second. Charles Johnson connected on a single before Nitin Rao was intentionally walked. Gavin Crawford then reached on a fielder's choice in which first was forced out at home but Johnson was able to score on an error. Ricky Sumii was walked to load the bases -- again -- and Andrew Painter came through with an RBI single completing the scoring for the inning as London took a 7-4 lead.

Holland refused to quit in the bottom of the sixth Amarensio Franka lead off the inning with a single and advanced to second on an error and then stole third base. Maarten Smit was walked and stole second, putting two men in scoring position. After a ground out, Jamie Beerman hit a RBI single, which scored Franka and moved Smit to third. Ryan Hoogendoorn walked when Borris Hearman came through with a single. On the play. Smit scored but Beerman was thrown out at home, saving the tying run for London. A strikeout ended the rally, as London came out ahead by one run in a 7-6 victory.

UK made it to the championship game untouched, winning all of its qualifying games. London team started the tournament with a strong start on the first day defeating the European Baseball Tour from Czech Republic in a 16-3 game. The second day of the tournament, London clinched victory against both the German Academy in a 9-2 game and Lituania in a 11-1 game. During the third day of the tournament, London continued its winning streak against Israel in a 4-2 game and the German Academy in a 7-0 game.

The European Zone has won two games in DSGPLWS history. In 2013, Paderborn, Germany defeated Washington, Pennsylvania in a 8-1 victory but was defeated by Hilo, Hawaii in the following game. Once again, in 2016, Paderborn faced off with Washington and was victorious in a 12-0 game but was later defeated by Maui, Hawaii in a 9-0 game.

London will be participating in Game #4 of the World Series on Saturday, Aug. 10 at 2:30 p.m. ET/US against the host team, Washington County, Pennsylvania at Lew Hays PONY Field.

For more information about the qualifying teams and the DSGPLWS visit www.plws.org and follow us on social media!  

-Guasave, Mexico-

After five days of competitive game play in the Pony Mexico Zone Championships in Monclova, Coahuila, the championship game did not disappoint. Guasave, Sinaloa clinched the victory against Mazatlán, Sinaloa 16-15. Guasave strong offensive performance secured the win with Ezekiel Peres's two home runs and six RBI, as well as Omar Terraces's home run and three RBI.

The road to the championship game was not easy for the team. During the elimination round, Guasave earned two narrow victories against very competitive teams. First over Guadalajara, Mexico in a 4-2 game and then defending Zone Champion, Tijuana, Baja California 3-2.

This will be the third appearance for Guasave in the DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series (DSGPLWS). In 2017, Guasave won its first game against Levittown, Puerto Rico in a 4-1 victory. In the following games the team suffered two losses against Seoul, Korea 8-4 and Youngstown, Ohio 11-0.

In 2012, Guasave lost its first game to Long Beach, California 13-0 but redeemed itself against Washington County, Pennsylvania 6-5. However, the team was ultimately defeated by Laredo, Texas 8-0 and was eliminated.

Guasave is seeking the Mexico Zone’s second-ever DSGPLWS championship. The only DSGPLWS champion from the Mexico Zone was Monterrey in 1972. Los Mochis, Sinaloa was the last Mexico Zone team to make it to the Championship Game in 2013. The Sinaloa team was ultimately defeated by Okinawa, Japan in a 5-4 game.

Guasave will be competing in the DSGPLWS in Game #2 on Friday, Aug. 9 at 8:00 p.m. ET/US at Lew Hays PONY Field in Washington, Pennsylvania against the Host Area champion who will be determined August 2 - 4.

For more information about qualifying teams and the DSGPLWS visit www.plws.org and follow us on social media!  

CARIBBEAN ZONE QUALIFIERS

- Arecibo, Puerto Rico -

Despite an 0-2 start in the 2019 PONY Caribbean Zone Championship tournament July 3-7 in Aruba, Arecibo, Puerto Rico turned things around and clinched a spot in the 2019 DICK’s Sporting Goods PONY League World Series with an 8-7 victory over Panama in the championship game.

Puerto Rico opened the tournament playing Panama in the first game, falling 4-0. The following day, host country Aruba shut down the eventual champions 2-1. After scoring just one run over the first two contests, Puerto Rico’s offense took control over its last four games, scoring a total of 41 runs over that time frame.

Puerto Rico’s first win came against Curazao, 9-3, followed by victories over the Dominican Republic 12-1 and again defeating Curazao 12-2 in the semifinals.

This marks the 41st overall trip to the DSGPLWS for the country of Puerto Rico and the first time the city of Arecibo will represent. The Caribbean Zone Champions will look to win the country’s eighth DSGPLWS championship and its first since Trujillo Alto won number seven in 2007. After missing the 2018 DSGPLWS, Puerto Rico returns for the second time in three years. In its previous trip in 2017, Levittown, Puerto Rico represented the country and went 0-2 with an early exit from the DSGPLWS.

NORTH ZONE QUALIFIERS

- Bay County, MI -

For the seventh consecutive year and ninth time in the last ten years, Bay County, Michigan will represent the North Zone in the 2019 DICK’s Sporting Goods PONY League World Series. Bay County (Red) cruised to a perfect 5-0 mark in the 2019 North Zone Championship and clinched its spot with a convincing 14-2 win over Bay County (Blue) in the championship game.

Bay County went unmatched in pool play, utilizing dominant pitching and high powered offense. The sweep of pool play saw Bay County outscore its opponents 51-6. Game 1 saw a 13-3 victory over Bay County (Blue) to start the tournament, followed by victories of 16-1 over Crest Hill, Illinois, 12-2 over Chicago (AFCA), Illinois and a 10-0 shutout over Eastern Illinois.

The perfect record gave Bay County a bye straight to the championship game. In the 14-2, 10-run rule victory, Bay County opened with six runs in the top of the first to take an already commanding lead. Insurance runs were added, as Bay County made it 9-0 through two and 14-1 through three innings.

In the fourth inning, Bay County (Blue) scored its only other run and Bay County shut the door in the fifth to clinch the North Zone Championship.

Jace Giffel was the star of the championship game, driving in four runs by way of doubles in the first and third innings. Giffel started the game on the mound and limited Bay County (Blue) to two runs and four hits. In the process, Giffel struck out six and walked just one in his 3 1/3 innings pitched.

Through the entirety of the tournament, Bay County outscored opponents by a total combined score of 65-8, hit .464 as a team and pitched to a collective team ERA of 1.17.

Bay County returns to Washington with its sights on bettering its overall outcome. In the 2018 DICK’s Sporting Goods PONY League World Series, Bay County finished with a 1-2 mark, defeating Yaguate, Dominican Republic 8-5 to open the tournament and lost to eventual champion Chinese Taipei 12-1 and then lost to Yaguate 16-6 in an elimination game.

The state of Michigan won its only DSGPLWS in 1961, when Hamtramck took home the crown. Bay County will look to make it championship number two for the state, and opens the tournament in Game #3 against the eventual South Zone Champion on August 10 at noon ET-US.

EAST ZONE QUALIFIERS

- Hagerstown, MD-

The 2019 East Zone Championship game went to an if necessary match-up, and coming out on top was Hagerstown, Maryland, by a final score of 7-3. Hagerstown clinches its third trip this decade to the DSGPLWS and sixth since the turn of the century.

To open the tournament, Hagerstown upended another usual East Zone favorite, Chesterfield County, Virginia, 8-5. A 15-3 win over Manchester, New Hampshire followed, the with the East Zone Championship on the line, Hagerstown fell to Chesterfield, 5-4, forcing an if necessary championship game.

In the 7-3 championship game, Hagerstown and Chesterfield met for the third time in the tournament. Chesterfield led early in the final game, 3-0, through three innings. In the fourth inning, Hagerstown added two runs and the another run in the fifth to tie the game 3-3.

In the bottom of the sixth, still tied 3-3, Hagerstown brought eight up to the plate and scored four runs to take a 7-3 lead. Jake McCallister got his lone hit of the game, a two-RBI triple to make the score 5-3. Jacob Hill followed McCallister with his only hit of the game as well, an RBI single to make it 6-3. The score turned to 7-3 when Hagerstown scored on an error by Chesterfield.

On the mound, Brayden Barr allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits. Also, Barr stuck out four over his four and two-thirds frames and walked a total of four.

For the tournament, Hagerstown outscored its opposition by a count of 34-17. Behind the bats of Dylan Shoemaker (.545 BA/16 PA) and Carter Conroy (.462 BA/15 PA) the offense averaged nearly nine runs per game.

On the mound, Barr and McCallister led the charge, throwing a combined 13.1 innings, en route to a final team ERA of 3.04 for the tournament.

Hagerstown prepares to return to Washington for the second time in three years. 2019 will mark the 14^th appearance in the PLWS for the East Zone Champions. Hagerstown qualified for the first PLWS in 1952. In 1995, Hagerstown was the runner-up, falling to Bayamon, Puerto Rico 11-2. In 2000 and 2015, Hagerstown came within one game of the championship, losing to West Covina, California in 2000 and San Bernardino in 2015.

The state of Maryland has never hoisted the DSGPLWS championship. Hagerstown will look to win its first championship, as well as the states’. The East Zone Champions take the field to kick-off the 2019 DSGPLWS at 5:30 p.m ET-US in Game #1 against Caribbean Zone Champion, Arecibo, Puerto Rico.

SOUTH ZONE QUALIFIERS

- Brownsville, TX -

The 2019 South Zone Champions, Mizuno (Brownsville, Texas), dominated the 2019 South Zone tournament. For the third consecutive year, Brownsville punches a ticket to the 2019 DSGPLWS, thanks in part to a 11-1 victory over NASA-Orange (Houston, TX) in the championship game.

In the 16 team, double-elimination tournament that has two different eight team brackets, Brownsville overmatched everyone it faced. Medina Valley, TX was the first opponent for Brownsville in the National Bracket, the final score, 28-0. Brownsville followed that with victories over Welsch, Louisiana: 10-3, Deanville, TX: 24-2 and Steaith, TX: 12-2.

The victory over Steaith clinched Brownsville its spot in the South Zone Championship, and it still was no-contest. NASA-Orange playing its eighth game of the tournament, fell to much fresher champions 11-1.

For the tournament, Brownsville put up truly jaw-dropping numbers. In the five games played, Brownsville outscored its opposition by a count of 85-8. The offense as a unit combined to score an average of 17 runs per game, while allowing just over a run and a half per game.

Brownsville prepares to return to Washington for the third consecutive year and fifth time overall. Brownsville’s first PLWS trip was in 2006. Last year, Brownsville left the PLWS with a record of 2-2 and a spot in the final four. Brownsville defeated Bronx, NY, 11-9 and Tijuana, MX, 4-0. Both losses in the 2018 PLWS came to runner up Long Beach, CA, those two contests both ended 6-5.

The state of Texas has won four PLWS championships. The first PLWS in 1952 was won by San Antonio. The other three Texas championships were won by Lufkin (1957), Houston (1962) and Laredo (2011).

Brownsville takes the field in Game #3 of the 2019 DSGPLWS at 12:00 p.m ET-US against North Zone Champion, Bay County, MI.

WEST ZONE QUALIFIERS

- Simi Valley, CA -

With one on, two outs and trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Ethan Pena-Edwards stepped to the plate for Simi Valley, California. On the first pitch, Pena-Edwards drove one to left field and came all the way away to score, winning the West Zone Championship for Simi Valley, 4-3, on a walk-off, two-run inside the park home run against Maui, Hawaii.

Simi Valley had one hiccup in the tournament, finishing with a 4-1 record. The champions opened the tournament with a 15-0 victory over Bothell, Washington and followed it up with a 9-4 victory over Placentia, California. Day three of the West Zone tournament saw Simi Valley lose its only game of the tournament, 8-1, in a rematch with Placentia. The teams met a third time in a deciding elimination game in the early morning hours of championship day and Simi Valley came out victorious 11-1.

In the championship game, Pena-Edwards led the charge going 2-4 with the two most important RBI of the game. David Laranjo and Luke Gill also contributed two hits each as the three combined for six of Simi Valley’s eight hits.

On the mound, Trevor Hansen was strong, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits. Hansen stuck out seven over his six frames and walked just three.

For the tournament, Simi Valley outscored its opposition by a count of 40-16. Behind the bats of Laranjo (.583 BA/17 PA) and Pena-Edwards (.480 BA/21 PA) the offense averaged eight runs per game.

On the mound, Hansen and Onoye led the charge, both throwing at least seven innings, en route to a final team ERA of 2.96 for the tournament.

Simi Valley returns to Washington for only the second time in PLWS history. Simi Valley’s only previous appearance came back in 2006 when the West Zone champions fell to Caguas, Puerto Rico, 4-2 in the championship. Prior to the championship, Simi Valley won all its games, 19-3 over Rockingham, North Carolina and 5-1/14-4 over Washington Country.

On the 2006 runner-up Simi Valley team is the reigning MLB NL MVP from 2018, Christian Yelich.

The state of California has won 22 DSGPLWS championships, its first in 1959 by Long Beach and most recently in 2017 by Covina.  Simi Valley will look to win its first championship, while making it championship number 23 for the state. The West Zone Champions take the field for its first-game on August 11 at 1 p.m ET-US vs either European Zone Champion, London, UK or host Washington County, PA.

HOST AREA QUALIFIERS

- Youngstown, OH -

In a thrilling, high-scoring championship game, Youngstown, Ohio outlasted Flood City (Johnstown, Pennsylvania) 11-10 to clinch its third consecutive spot in the 2019 DSGPLWS.

Up until the championship game, Youngstown had very little trouble, going a perfect 3-0. The first opponent for the champions was Mt. Lebanon, a 17-1 victory. The other two victories prior to the championship was a 23-1 victory over Beaver and 15-3 over Peters Township.

Youngstown’s opponent, Johnstown, lost its first game of the tournament, 4-2 to Beaver. After that, Johnstown’s offense thrived, scoring 76 runs over four games to reach the championship. Youngstown couldn’t keep Johnstown from scoring double-digit runs a fifth consecutive game, but the offense did just enough to clinch the Host Area Championship.

For the tournament, Youngstown’s offense proved to be a force to be reckon with. In the four games played, Youngstown outscored its opposition by a count of 65-15. The offense as a unit combined to score an average of just over 16 runs per game, while the defense allowed just under four runs per game.

Youngstown prepares to return to Washington for the sixth time in the history of the PLWS. In the 2018 PLWS, Youngstown went 1-2, winning its opening game 10-0 over Vienna, Austria, before back-to-back losses to eventual champion Chinese Taipei, 4-0 and Yaguate, Dominican Republic, 11-6. Youngstown’s first birth in the PLWS was in 1955 when it was the runner-up to Washington County. The other births for Youngstown were 1960, 2011 and 2017.

The state of Ohio has never won the DSGPLWS championship. Youngstown will look to win its first championship, as well as the states’. Ohio has played in the championship once in 1955 and made the final four one other time, 2017 (both Youngstown). The Host Area Champions take the field to end day one of the 2019 DSGPLWS at 8 p.m ET-US in Game #2 against Mexico Zone Champion, Guasave, Mexico.