Loudoun South, only the second U.S. team in Little League World Series history to throw consecutive no-hitters, lost 10-0 in the United States semifinal game of the Little league world series against Louisiana on Thursday.
"Obviously this is not the way we wanted it to end up," manager Alan Bowden said following the game. "But all the teams here are very very good and we knew we would have to play well today to compete with that South West team."
The team from South Riding, Va., got no hits in five innings. Louisiana's Reece Roussel hit a grand slam, putting the South West champions up 5-0.
When the season first started, all 13 players on Loudoun South were in school. Today, their season has ended -- on the first day of school.
"Obviously I'm very proud of them," Bowden said. "It's been a long road, we've been together for over 80 days. Obviously I never dreamed we would get here, so, you know, I'm very very proud of them. They have nothing to hang their head about."
Loudoun South was the first team from Virginia to play in the LLWS in 25 years. No team from Maryland or Virginia has ever won it in the entire 73-year history of the Little League World Series.
In fact, the longest run by a Virginia team in the LLWS was when Tuckahoe Little League from Richmond, lost in Japan during the 1968 International Final.
"As competitors, they're obviously very upset with losing," Bowden said. "It's hard to tell a group of 12-year-old to keep your head up and to see the bright side of things when you just got, you know, 10-runned."
Loudoun South was the first team from Virginia to play in the LLWS in 25 years. No team from Maryland or Virginia has ever won it all in the 73 year history of the Little League World Series.
The longest run by a Virginia team in the LLWS was when Tuckahoe Little League, from Richmond, lost to Japan in the 1968 International Final.
"I cannot overstate how important the Loudoun South Little League community and the Loudoun County community has been," Bowden said.