Lappe\’s Legendary LLWS Walk-Off 🤯

August 28, 2023 $Lappe\’s Legendary LLWS Walk-Off 🤯$

By: Carlos Alvarez

California Beats Curacao (6-5) to Win 2023 Little League World Series on Louis Lappe’s Walk-Off Home Run

A legend is born! California captured the 2023 Little League World Series title on Sunday, in the wildest of ways, and off the bat of their best player. Tied against Curacao (5-5) in the bottom of the 6th after surrendering a four-run lead, Cali\’s tournament superstar stepped to the plate for a moment of glory — Louis Lappe smashed a no-doubt, walk-off winner! Lappe celebrated with a bat flip and a trot around the bases, soaking in a moment most kids can only dream about. The 12-year-old finished the tournament with five homers, and his El Segundo club delivered California’s eighth LLWS crown (the most by any state).

El Segundo’s Second Chance: Oddly enough, the team representing California hailed from El Segundo, a Los Angeles neighborhood near Inglewood. El Segundo means “second” in Spanish, and it was a second chance that saved the team\’s LLWS story. Since the LLWS isn’t a single-elimination tourney, losing teams head to the elimination bracket, and both California and Curacao found themselves there. Texas and Chinese Taipei were the two teams who ran the table in the winner’s bracket, but both fell to Cali and Curacao in a semifinals of second chances. Redemption for California, and a chance for Lappe\’s legacy to grow even bigger.

The Final: California led for most of the finale, including 5-1 in the 5th inning, but a Curacao grand slam from Nasir El-Ossais tied things up. A scoreless sixth set the stage for Lappe’s highlight of a lifetime — little leaguer, big bat.

LLWS Championship Highlights

California def. Curacao (6-5) to Win 2023 LLWS

3rd-Place Game Highlights

Chinese Taipei def. Texas (10-0) on 10-Run Rule in 4 Innings

Sporting News: Who Is Louis Lappe? Meet the 6-Foot-1 Little Leaguer Who Just Won the LLWS

Photo: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images