Little League World Series 2012 Results: California Defeats Panama

Not all is lost.

The 2012 Little League World Series results don’t match what California had dreamt they’d be. It claimed the 2011 LLWS crown, so this year anything less than back-to-back titles would be a disappointment. The club fought its way to the United States Championship, but it suffered an entertaining, yet heartbreaking 24-16 loss to Tennessee.

Its hopes for a repeat were dashed, but the players won’t return home to Northern California on a low note. On Sunday, it defeated Panama by the score of 12-4.

Team Latin America actually recorded more hits than the West squad. Panama just couldn’t reach home plate consistently.

California only connected on eight hits next to Panama’s nine, but the West’s second baseman Porter Slate got to first base a lot by another method: base on balls. Latin America’s pitching staff walked Slate a whopping four times.

Slate didn’t record a single hit. Despite that fact, he scored three runs—the most out of anyone on the West. His good eye and patience was one of the keys for California salvaging their LLWS campaign a bit.

Even though it didn’t defend its LLWS throne, its players should still leave Williamsport with their heads held high. Prior to their loss to Tennessee, they were dominant.

This past Thursday, Northern California blew out Texas West 11-1. In its previous game, it shut out Connecticut 5-0. Those are talented ballclubs that the West defeated.

In 2013, you better believe, that as long as California advances out of the stacked West region, it'll be back challenging for a LLWS title.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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