No Mission Impossible for Mexican Youngsters

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Gabriel Alvarez, who was hitless in five games of the Little League World Series, cracked a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning and Guadalupe, Mexico, rallied from a 4-1 deficit to defeat South Mission Viejo, 5-4, Saturday in the championship game at Lamade Stadium.

South Mission Viejo starter Gavin Fabian had been cruising along with a no-hitter into the sixth and had nearly everyone in the announced crowd of 37,400 believing he could lead his team to the first title for the United States since Long Beach’s championships in 1992 and ’93.

However, Fabian, looking for his third victory in the series, opened the sixth by hitting Luis Robles with a pitch, and Robles promptly stole second base. Fabian, who had not given up an earned run in his last 12 innings, then walked Juan de Dios Garza and when Alvarez worked the count to 2-and-0, South Mission Viejo Manager Jim Gattis removed Fabian in favor of Adam Sorgi.

Sorgi, who threw four scoreless innings in a 9-0 victory over Dyer, Ind., in pool play, got two quick strikes on Alvarez. But with the count 2-and-2, Sorgi tried to throw a fastball inside to Alvarez, who put his first hit of the series over the wall in left-center.

A stunned Sorgi, with tears in his eyes, struggled to go on. After a conversation with his manager, he walked reserve Javier de Isla, who was batting for only the second time in the series. Sorgi was then replaced by Ryan O’Donovan, who had worked only a single inning during the series (on Wednesday). He was greeted by a sacrifice bunt from Daniel Baca, and Isla took second.

With first base open, it was decided O’Donovan would pitch to the red-hot Torres, who lashed a sharp line drive into center field for a base hit, and when center fielder Ashton White couldn’t come up with the ball, Isla scored the winning run.

Just like that, the South Mission Viejo dream to become only the fourth team from Southern California--and first from Orange County--to win the Little League World Series was over.

Stunned supporters didn’t know what to do. Their plastic penny-shakers went silent and they stared onto the field, where White lay crying in the shadows on the outfield grass while the Mexican players streamed onto the field and celebrated to chants of “Toro! Toro!” from a handful of supporters who made their way to Central Pennsylvania from their home state of Nuevo Leon. Guadalupe finished with a postseason record of 27-2.

“In baseball you get what you deserve,” South Mission Viejo Coach Jim Gattis said. “And today we got what we deserved. We did not play well, and when you play a fine team like Mexico, you are going to get beat if you are not ready to play.”

Indeed, this was not a typical game for South Mission Viejo (21-2), which had scored 33 runs in four previous tournament victories in Williamsport.

“I think we wanted this one too much,” Fabian said. “We wanted to win real bad . . . too hard, I guess.”

Guadalupe, on the other hand, could only celebrate. It was a double treat for the players, a team spokesman said, pointing out that the World Series championship came 40 years almost to the day that a team from Monterrey, Mexico, recorded that country’s first Little League World Series title with a victory over a team from La Mesa, on a perfect game from pitcher Angel Macias.

Macias and his teammates have become legends around metropolitan Monterrey, which includes Guadalupe. In preparation for Saturday’s game, the Mexican players spent part of Friday night watching a 16-millimeter movie that had been transferred to videotape that detailed the accomplishments of that earlier team. Players said it was inspirational.

Gattis probably wished he had a similar inspirational device for his team, but the last team from Orange County--Northwood from Irvine--lost to Taiwan in the 1987 championship game, 21-1.

“Today we didn’t play as a unit,” Gattis said. “We were trying too hard. The kids didn’t play good defense. It was very upsetting [to see] their attitudes. I saw kids strike out and instead of getting ready to go out and play good defense, they would sit down in the dugout the rest of the inning. We were just out of whack.”

But it was Alvarez who got the biggest whack. He said he went to the plate in the sixth looking for a fastball he could hit.

“That play ignited us like a firecracker,” Manager Jaime Luna said.

And South Mission Viejo’s chances exploded with it.

* BILL PLASCHKE: A lesson in how to deal with losing for Mission Viejo team. A1

* MISSION VIEJO: Season’s accomplishments do little to ease the pain. C13

* MEXICO: World champions will return home to a hero’s welcome. C13