Boerne to play for U.S. title at Little League World Series

The Boerne Little League team defeated Nevada Thursday afternoon, 5-2, at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Boerne improves to 3-0 at the event and is 17-0 overall in the playoffs.

They’ll play Saturday for the U.S. championship at 2 p.m. on ABC against Florida, a team they’ve already defeated. Florida beat Nevada Thursday night to advance to the title game.

Saturday’s winner plays Sunday for the Little League World Series title against an international team.

The loser of the U.S. title game plays Sunday in the third-place Little League game against the loser of the international game.

In Thursday’s contest, Boerne scored first in the battle of unbeaten teams with two runs in the first inning after Julian Hurst doubled and Gray Collins singled and later scored.

Cooper Hastings had an RBI sac fly, and Doc Mogford also picked up an RBI in the inning to make it 2-0 out of the gate.

Nevada answered with two runs in the second to tie it up after Boerne pitching gave up three walks and two singles in the inning.

But Boerne pulled ahead for good in the third after Hurst and Collins both reached and scored again.

Hurst singled and Collins doubled, and both picked up RBIs with their hits and drove in Gage Steubing and Ben Burkhart for the 5-2 lead. Steubing later tripled in the fifth to go with his single in the third.

The duo of Hurst and Collins finished a combined 4 for 4 at the plate and scored 3 of their 5 runs in the game.

Hastings had another RBI sac fly in the third to drive in two runs against Nevada, while Mogford tallied two singles and an RBI.

The team finished with 8 hits in the contest and used three different pitchers to get the win.

Caden Guffey started on the mound, Kaleb Christ threw in the second and Cooper Hastings finished it out on the hill and went the final four frames.

Nevada finished with 5 hits in the game but none after the third inning against Hastings.