Brownsville led, 4-1, 7-3 and 9-6 but needed a pair of runs in the eighth inning to beat Youngstown, OH and win the 69th PONY League World Series championship. Ruben Lopez stroked a three-run home run in the fourth, singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth and scored the ultimate game-winner on a Nehemiah Garcia double to win their first-ever championship game. Youngstown used a three run sixth to tie the game at 9, then loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the seventh. But a lineout doubleplay and a groundout ended the walkoff attempt. After Brownsville took a two-run lead in the top of the eighth, the runners-up again loaded the bases but got only one run before a lineout to center ended the game. Miah Vela pitched the final three innings for Brownsville to get the win. Ruben Lopez finished with three hits and four RBI. Alexis Lopez had two doubles, two singles, a walk, two runs driven in and four runs scored, giving Texas its fifth PONY title, the first since Laredo won ten years ago. Javier Garcia took home the World Series ERA Award, not allowing an earned run in 9.0 innings of work.
Carter Wilson led Youngstown at the plate with four hits and three RBI. Hunter Garvin won the tournament’s Batting Champion Award, hitting .600 (6-for-10) in the World Series. Jake Rynd had three hits but the Host Area runner-up stranded 16 baserunners in the game, their first title game appearance since losing to Washington in the 1955 championship game.
Elizabeth Engle was named PONY Princess with Ava Bowman taking home PONY Hostess honors. Cameron Dames received the John D. Voytek Memorial Award as Washington County’s leading hitter, going 3-for-9 in the Hosts’ four tournament games.