On Sunday afternoon in South Williamsport, Pa, the El Segundo Little League from California secured the 2023 Little League World Series championship with a dramatic 6-5 win over Curaçao. The game ended in the sixth inning when Louis Lappe hit a walk-off home run, clinching the title for California.
The matchup between the West Region and Caribbean Region was filled with excitement. California took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning and appeared to have control of the game. However, in the fifth inning, Curaçao’s Nasir El-Ossaïs hit a grand slam off Max Baker, tying the game at 5-5.
The sixth inning was intense as Lappe’s game-winning home run shattered Curaçao’s dreams. Up until that point, the pitcher from Curaçao had not allowed any home runs in the World Series. Lappe, a key player for El Segundo, hit his fifth home run of the tournament with the title-winning hit.
“My mindset was to simply get the next batter out, and if we continued to do that, we would have won anyway. But I’ll take the home run,” Lappe said after the victory.
Although Lappe had the winning hit, the victory was a collective effort from the entire California team. Lucas Keldorf contributed to the early lead with a two-run double in the first inning, while Jaxon Kalish added two runs with a single in the third. In the fourth inning, Crew O’Connor got his first hit of the Little League World Series, an RBI single that extended California’s lead to 5-1. Brody Brooks, who started the game with a single, was the pitcher who halted Curaçao’s offense in the top of the sixth inning.
This marks the fifth consecutive year that an American team has won the championship at the Little League World Series. The United States holds the record with 39 titles, followed by Chinese Taipei with 17 and Japan with 11.
California has a remarkable record in the championship game, making it to the final 24 times and winning the title eight times, the most out of any team in the United States. El Segundo Little League became the first California team to win the championship since Ocean View Little League from Huntington Beach in 2011.
Below is a complete recap of the 2023 Little League World Series, including the schedule, scores, and participating teams.
2023 Little League World Series Scores
Sunday, Aug. 27
- World Series Championship: West 6, Caribbean 5
- Consolation Game: Asia-Pacific 10, Southwest 0
Saturday, Aug. 26
- Final: Caribbean 2, Asia-Pacific 0
- Final: West 6, Southwest 1
Thursday, Aug. 24
- Final: Caribbean 4, Mexico 2
- Final: West 2, Northwest 1
Wednesday, Aug. 23
- Final: Asia-Pacific 9, Caribbean 1
- Final: Southwest 1, Northwest 0
- Final: Mexico 2, Japan 0,
- Final: West 5, Southeast 3
Tuesday, Aug. 22
- Final: Mexico 3, Latin America 1
- Final: Southeast 2, Mountain 1
- Final: Japan 5, Panama 4
- Final: West 9, Metro 3
Monday, Aug. 21
- Final: Caribbean 2, Latin America 1
- Final: Northwest 6, Southeast 2
- Final: Asia-Pacific 10, Japan 0
- Final: Southwest 3, West 1
Sunday, Aug. 20
- Final: Panama 3, Cuba 2
- Final: Metro 7, Mid-Atlantic 2
- Final: Mexico 10, Canada 1
- Final: Mountain 7, Midwest 1
Saturday, Aug. 19
- Final: Cuba 11, Australia 1
- Final: Mid-Atlantic 5, New England 3
- Final: Canada 3, Europe-Africa 0
- Final: Mountain 13, Great Lakes 2
Friday, Aug. 18
- Final: Latin America 4, Panama 3
- Final: Southeast 8, Metro 1
- Final: Japan 6, Mexico 1
- Final: Southwest 6, Midwest 2
Thursday, Aug. 17
- Final: Caribbean 2, Australia 1
- Final: Northwest 1, New England 0
- Final: Asia-Pacific 6, Canada 0
- Final: West 4, Great Lakes 3
Wednesday, Aug. 16
- Final: Panama 4, Europe-Africa 0
- Final: Metro 3, Mountain 1
- Final: Japan 1, Cuba 0
- Final: Southwest 2, Mid-Atlantic 1
Little League World Series Participants
United States
- Great Lakes: New Albany Little League; New Albany, Ohio
- Metro Region: Smithfield Little League; Smithfield, Rhode Island
- Mid-Atlantic Region: Media Little League; Media, Pennsylvania
- Midwest Region: Fargo Little League; Fargo, North Dakota
- Mountain Region: Henderson Little League; Henderson, Nevada
- New England Region: Gray New Gloucester Little League; Gray, Maine
- Northwest Region: Northeast Seattle Little League; Seattle, Washington
- Southeast Region: Nolensville Little League; Nolensville, Tennessee
- Southwest Region: Needville Little League; Needville, Texas
- West Region: El Segundo Little League; El Segundo, California
International
Asia-Pacific Region: Kuei-Shan Little League; Taoyuan, Chinese Taipei
Australia Region: Hills Little League; Sydney, Australia
Canada Region: North Regina Little League; Regina, Saskatchewan
Caribbean Region: Pabao Little League; Willemstad, Curaçao
Cuba Region: Bayamo Little League; Bayamo, Cuba
Europe-Africa Region: South Czech Republic Little League; Brno, Czech Republic
Japan Region: Musashi Fuchu Little League; Tokyo, Japan
Latin America Region: San Francisco Little League; Maracaibo, Venezuela
Mexico Region: Municipal de Tijuana Little League; Tijuana, Mexico
Panama Region: Activo 20-30 Little League; Santiago de Veraguas, Panama
