CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) — Sweetwater Valley Little League is one win away from the Little League World Series after beating Hawaii 6-0 in the West Regional Semifinals in San Bernardino on Tuesday.
Isaac Ramirez Aguirre scored the game's first run and pitched a complete game shutout to lift Sweetwater Valley to the victory.
The win sends the team to the West Regional Finals on Friday. The winner of that game advances to the Little League World Series in Williamsport.
Back home in the South Bay, fans of all ages gathered to watch the 10-to-12-year-olds play on the big stage on ESPN — including younger Sweetwater Little Leaguers watching on a big screen.
Kameron Duncan, a 10U Sweetwater Valley Little Leaguer, said watching his friends compete was a surreal experience.
"Is it weird to know that that's your friend up there?" ABC 10News Anchor Max Goldwasser asked.
"Yeah, kind of. Because, like, I've never seen that before," Duncan said.
The watch party drew supporters from all around the area, according to Luke Rathe, Sponsorship Director for Sweetwater Valley Little League.
"The one thing that's great about this watch party is that it brings the community out. It brings people from, not just Sweetwater Valley Little League but all the Little Leagues around District 42 here in San Diego County," Rathe said.
It has been several years since any team from District 42 has been in this position. Sweetwater Valley made it in 2015, finishing third in the U.S. bracket. They came close again in 2019 but fell short in this same West Regional tournament.
Three other teams from the South Bay have advanced to the Little League World Series before.
In 2009, the Park View Little League team went on to win the World Series. In 2013, Eastlake Little League came in second at the World Series. In 2016, Park View Little League advanced to the tournament.
This year's squad has impressed at least one young fan. Adrian Asuncion, a 10U Sweetwater Valley Little Leaguer, summed up the team's run simply.
"They've been crushing people and they only lost one game," Asuncion said.
Sweetwater Valley will know its opponent in the West Regional Finals after the Hawaii vs. Arizona game on Wednesday.
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