Little Leaguers Learn a Life’s Lesson

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — The ball rolled between Ashton White’s legs and through the thick green grass in center field.

Francisco de Isla sprinted across home plate to score the winning run amid a bouncing sea of teammates.

And here came the South Mission Viejo moms.

Rushing to the chicken wire behind their dugout, holding back giant sobs to shout at their little boys.

In this most impossible of moments, it was the most improbable of cheers.

“We’re So Proud of You, Say We’re So Proud of You.”

It did not work. The 12-year-olds did not listen to their mothers.

White collapsed in center field, burying his face in his hands.

Adam Sorgi froze between second and third base, his once-brave face covered in tears.

Some threw their caps, others kicked the dirt, some just stared with reddening eyes at a scoreboard which showed how Mexico had scored four times in the final inning to steal away the Little League world title with a 5-4 victory.

And still the South Mission Viejo moms chanted.

“We’re So Proud of You, Say We’re So Proud of You.”

On a breezy Saturday afternoon in the White Deer Mountains, 13 kids from a pocket of Orange County were moments from learning about championships.

Instead, they had to settle for learning about life.

An uneven swap if there ever was one.

“I had fun . . . for the first five innings,” said Nick Moore, the first baseman whose home run helped give South Mission Viejo a 4-1 lead.

But in the bottom of the sixth inning--the final frame in these games--pitcher Gavin Fabian hit the first batter on the shoulder, and walked the second one.

After throwing two balls to Gabriel Alvarez, Fabian was replaced by Sorgi. Three pitches later, Alvarez hit a home run over the left-field fence to tie the score.

Then De Isla walked, and eventually scored the winning run from second base on Pablo Torres’ single that went through the legs of center fielder White.

While the South Mission Viejo players despaired, the Mexican team looked skyward.

“I prayed for this,” Alvarez said as he hurried from the stadium with his family to attend Saturday night Mass. “In the dugout, we all prayed.”

Guadalupe becomes only the third team from Mexico to win a Little League world championship in the tournament’s 50 years.

South Mission Viejo becomes one of the few teams to lose in such stunning fashion.

It may be the only team to ever lose in a championship game . . . and then listen to its coach say it deserved to lose.

This was life lesson one.

When you lose, not everyone is willing to run to the chicken wire and cheer you.

“Baseball is a tough game, and they got what they deserved today. . . . They deserved to lose this game,” said Manager Jim Gattis, a former college coach and current cafe owner.

Gattis said his team pouted after strikeouts, which may have led to silly mistakes--Mexico’s first run scored after two errors--and which caused his team “to be out of whack.”

Out of whack?

A couple of parents thought the manager might have been out of whack.

“How can you tell kids something like that?” asked Claudia Nieves, mother of outfielder Andrew. “Those kids played their hearts out. How can you say that they didn’t deserve to win?”

Good question. Maybe lesson one should be, no matter how pure they try to make this a kid’s game, some adult will always try to muck it up.

And no doubt, this was darn near pure.

The crowd of 37,400 that filled the bleachers and hills around Lamade Stadium were there gratis.

Just like at that sandlot game down the street, there is no admission charge for this tournament.

Also like at that sandlot game, there were no concession stands, only large snack bars selling such sandlot delicacies as licorice and cheese doodles.

Once the teams came into view, there were more reminders that, despite being broadcast on national television and played by kids who spit like major leaguers, this was very different.

The squad paraded on to the field accompanied by the song, “It’s a Small World.”

Players from the Mexican teams did the “YMCA” dance in the outfield during warmups.

Players from the South Mission Viejo team mimicked their slow-running teammates during introductions.

And everyone cheered the umpires.

Among other things, the South Mission Viejo team had prepped for this day by playing whiffle ball games in the dormitory bathrooms.

The moms were just thrilled they had bathed, something they superstitiously refused to do for four days during regional qualifying.

“I told him, ‘This week, you will use soap,’ ” said Marel Fabian, mother of the starting pitcher.

Then came the sixth inning, and reality.

Lesson Two? Some things, you just have to face yourself.

That is what Ashton White learned from his father, former Heisman Trophy-winning running back Charles White.

After his son finally climbed to his feet and ran off the field, still crying and shaking his cap in frustration, his father stared impassionately from behind the chicken wire.

“Hang in there, Ash,” he said quietly.

Later, his father said, “Today, my son learned what it is like to lose. He learned that feeling. He will know that he never wants to feel it again.

“He will learn to deal with this himself. That is a very important lesson.”

And no less easier than the others learned by the children of South Mission Viejo on Saturday, learned far too soon.