The Boerne Little League All-Star team’s dream season continues after the group made history by qualifying for the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
It’s the first time a Boerne Little League Majors All-Star team has advanced this far.
Boerne defeated Louisiana Tuesday in the regional round to clinch a spot in the 20-team Little League World Series that starts Aug. 14 and continues through Aug. 25.
Boerne opens play Aug. 15 at 6 p.m. and left town Friday morning at 4 a.m. with a police escort. They hope to be there for the duration of the event.
Head coach Justin Newson said he felt like they had a chance to make it to the LLWS, but knew there were no guarantees.
“I knew we were going to be good; I just didn’t know how good. I felt like we had a talented group, but no Boerne team has ever won a game at the state tournament,” he said. “You don’t know until you start playing baseball – pitching, catching and hitting. It’s been a fun ride, and we’re excited to be going to the World Series.”
Getting to Williamsport
At the Southwest Region, Boerne or Texas West defeated Arkansas in the opening round, 7-3, and then beat New Mexico the next day, 5-1, to start the event at 2-0 and stay in the undefeated bracket.
Boerne played Louisiana last Sunday with a berth in the championship or sit-out game up for grabs. Boerne beat the Louisiana team 4-1, while Louisiana had to play Monday against Texas East for the right to advance to the finals against Boerne.
Louisiana won Monday and played Boerne on Tuesday. It was a winner-takeall game even though Boerne or Texas West hadn’t dropped a game all tournament.
The Louisiana team had a strong second inning in Tuesday’s championship tilt that was broadcast nationally on ESPN.
Louisiana scored three runs in the second inning thanks to a single, double, a couple of Boerne errors and a wild pitch and jumped out to a 3-0 lead.
The 3-0 lead held until the tide turned in Boerne’s favor in the fourth.
Boerne had the top of the lineup coming to bat in the fourth frame and Julian Hurst started things off with a double. Gray Collins was hit by a pitch and then Cooper Hastings singled to load the bases with no outs.
Caden Guffey and Kole Newson both singled and drove in one run each and the lead was down to 3-2 with the bases still loaded and no outs.
That’s when the doctor made a house call. Doc Mogford came up and smashed a grand slam over the left-field fence to clear the bases and bring in four more runs for the 6-3 lead.
Mogford said the opposing pitcher threw him a knuckle ball.
“I saw a perfect pitch,” he said. “I got a really good pitch, and it shows that hard work pays off, it was a good hit and a good swing.”
Mogford, whose first name is really Doc after Doc Holiday, said he didn’t think the ball had cleared the fence and was running hard on the bases, assuming the ball was in play.
“I was still running but my coach told me ‘it’s over,’” he said. “It was one of the best feelings when he told me it was over.”
Louisiana finally switched pitchers and the new pitcher for the Bayou state did a good job and retired the only three batters he faced but the damage was done, and Boerne held a lead they would never relinquish at 6-3.
Louisiana still had three more at bats, and after going down in order in the fourth, the Cajuns put runners at third base in the fifth and sixth frames, but Boerne’s defense held tough and didn’t allow another run.
Hurst, Boerne’s starting hurler, hit his limit of 85 pitches in the sixth, and was replaced by Mogford, who retired the only two batters he saw with a strikeout and a ground out to third to end it.
Before Hurst left the mound and moved to first base, he fanned the last batter he faced for his 10th strikeout of the game. In all, he scattered 3 hits and only walked 1.
Hurst said he throws a twoseam fastball, a curveball and is working on a splitter. He said his most effective pitch is the curve.
“I think it’s my main pitch and the one I love the most,” he said. “It seemed to work.”
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