They’ll face either Venezuela or Chinese Taipei on Sunday, but Borne Little League must first beat a familiar foe.
SAN ANTONIO — Let’s be clear: if the Borne All-Stars win Saturday’s U.S. finals, they won’t be the first Texas team to play in the Little League World Series finals.
But they will join an elite club of young baseball players from the Lone Star State, which has made it to the championship just eight times and just three times since 1966. And if Vaughn continues his dominating play and wins two more games this weekend, he will become the first team outside of Houston to win the tournament.
Houston teams have won the Little League World Series twice, in 1950 and 1966. Overall, Texas teams are 2-6 in championship game appearances.
Read on to learn more about Texas’ past appearances in the tournament finals and their respective outcomes.
1950: Houston 2, Connecticut 1
Texas’ first Little League World Series victory may be the most impressive in the state’s epic tournament history.
For the fourth time in tournament history, Houston Little League outscored its opponents 8-1 to go undefeated, including a narrow 2-1 win over Bridgeport Little League of Connecticut. Not a bad way to end the team’s first state appearance in the event.
1951: Austin 0, Connecticut 3
The following year, Austin’s Little League team was on a roll en route to the 1951 Little League World Series championship, having crushed California 9-0 in their last game.
But the Texas team’s miracle of a second consecutive championship didn’t happen, as Austin was limited to just three hits and didn’t reach home plate in a 3-0 loss to Stamford, Connecticut.
1960: Fort Worth 0, Pennsylvania 5
Fort Worth defeated Canada and Mexico 10-1 to reach the finals and was in a strong position heading into the tournament final against the Levittown Club of Pennsylvania.
But their offense was silenced, they couldn’t get a hit and lost 5-0, ending Texas’ hopes of a second championship.
1961: El Campo 2, California 4
The 1961 Little League team from El Campo, a small town about 73 miles southwest of Houston, also came close to Little League World Series glory, winning the championship by defeating Indiana and Mexico.
California’s pitchers fought hard and didn’t allow a hit, but defensive missteps allowed Texas to exploit three errors, ultimately resulting in a 4-2 loss, albeit without a hit.
1966: Houston 8, New Jersey 2
This year marked the last time the Lone Star State (Texas) would play in a Little League World Series championship in nearly three decades, and Houston made sure the upcoming wait would be worth it.
In the 1966 tournament, the team dominated their opponents, winning three games by a score of 18-2. This was before the U.S. and international teams were split into two different groups to determine who would represent them in the finals, which is why Houston beat California in the semifinals and then went on to play New Jersey.
Houston won 8-2, giving Texas their first championship in 16 years and just their second ever.
1995: Spring 3, Chinese Taipei 17
The Springs had a great tournament in 1995, but they faced off against a powerhouse of international baseball, Chinese Taipei, who had won the most titles in the tournament’s history (17).
In front of a crowd of 42,000, the largest in tournament history, Spring was unable to contain its opponents’ offense, allowing 16 hits and losing 17-3.
2000: Belair 2, Venezuela 3
In the final year of the eight-team tournament format, it was Bellaire Little League that made its mark in the tournament representing the U.S. Southern Region.
After going 2-1 in pool play, Bellaire dominated Iowa 8-0 in the U.S. finals to advance to the final against Venezuela, but the team ran out of steam in front of a crowd of 42,000, tying for the fourth-largest attendance in tournament history, losing 3-2 to Venezuela.
Bellaire also made history in 2000, when Ross Haggard became the first player in Little League World Series history to pitch multiple shutout games in the same tournament.
2017: Lufkin 2, Japan 12
Lufkin went 4-2 in the 2017 tournament and had a dramatic run to the finals as Texas returned to the finals for the first time in 17 years.
The team won their first two games before losing 2-1 to North Carolina. With elimination in sight, Lufkin’s offense rallied to beat Connecticut 14-4 to earn a rematch with North Carolina in the U.S. Finals. Lufkin got their revenge and earned a ticket to the Little League World Series Finals against the Tokyo Kitasuna Club of Japan.
The team scored the first two runs of the tournament, but then lost 12-0, leading to Japan winning the tournament in 2017. Lufkin recorded two runs, three hits and two errors in the game.
The 2017 tournament still featured a total of 16 teams, instead of the current 20.
2024: ?
The Borne All-Stars are now in the lead in history and on the brink of Texas’ ninth trip to the Little League World Series finals, and to earn that berth they must first beat a Florida team that lost to Borne on Monday to send them into the losers’ bracket.
Florida is feeling confident after three straight wins over New York, Hawaii and Nevada, and they have a chance to win glory again on Saturday afternoon when they take on Borneo on the Diamonds. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 pm CST, with the winner moving on to face the winner of the match between Chinese Taipei and Venezuela on Sunday.
