Bonita's Sweetwater Valley All-Stars Earn Historic Trip to the Little League World Series
Key Takeaways
- Sweetwater Valley beat Kawaihau Community 11-3 in the West Regional championship at Al Houghton Stadium in San Bernardino.
- The team became the first from San Diego County to reach the Little League World Series since Park View Little League in 2016.
- Isaac Ramirez hit a two-out grand slam in a six-run fifth inning that sealed the win.
- Sweetwater Valley improved to 15-0 in tournament play, outscoring opponents 114-15.
- The all-stars open LLWS play Aug. 20 against Northwest Little League from Davenport, Iowa.
For the first time in 10 years, a San Diego County team is headed to the Little League World Series. The Bonita-based Sweetwater Valley all-stars punched their ticket Friday night with an 11-3 win over Hawaii's Kawaihau Community Little League in the West Region final.
How Sweetwater Valley Won the West
Sweetwater Valley came out fast with a 5-0 lead and never looked back. The team led 2-0 after three innings. The Southern California champions added three runs in the fourth inning and closed the game with six unanswered runs in the fifth.
In the first inning, shortstop Mateo Ruiz tagged out Hawaii's Nahoa Carvalho Brede trying to advance to second on a wild pitch.
Isaac Ramirez provided the biggest swing: a two-out grand slam in that six-run fifth inning.
Sweetwater Valley's other runs came in the third and fourth innings. In the third, Teagen Cochran singled in Julian Sevilla, who led off with a walk, and Mateo Ruiz, who singled. In the fourth, Grant Mielke singled with one out, moved to second on Ramirez's single, and scored on Templeton Tran's single. Ramirez and Tran each advanced on a passed ball, then Ramirez scored and Tran went to third on a wild pitch two pitches later. Tran scored one out later on another wild pitch. Waika Doctolero homered for the Hawaii state champions in the top of the fifth, cutting the deficit to 5-3 in the scheduled six-inning game. Both teams finished with seven hits.
In another notable play, Mateo Ruiz scored on a passed ball charged to Hawaii catcher Po'okela Levinthhol.
Noah Kirk earned the win on the mound, allowing three runs and seven hits in five innings with seven strikeouts and one walk. Leo Gonzales closed it out with a hitless sixth, striking out Kholten Panui to end the game.
The game was a rematch of Sweetwater Valley's 6-0 win Tuesday that sent the team to the regional championship. In that game, Isaac Ramirez pitched a one-hitter, went 2-for-2 and scored twice, according to NBC San Diego.
Local California Context
Sweetwater Valley is the 13th team from San Diego County to reach the Little League World Series. The last was Chula Vista's Park View Little League in 2016. Two San Diego-area teams have won it all: Northern Little League from El Cajon in 1961 and Park View in 2009.
Fans and parents are already dreaming big. David Cisneros told NBC San Diego:
Next is the World Series. We get a chance to go on the big stage and have an opportunity to win it all for San Diego, for Sweetwater, all those things matter.
Viviana Aguilar added, "We're really proud of them." Cisneros also said, "A lot of these kids are playing for Sweetwater with the aspiration of playing for the Padres one day being Tatis, being Machado. I know for my son specifically, that's what he looks up to." Jackson Bautista said, "They're going to Williamsport and I can watch it and if they win the whole thing it'll be amazing."
At a watch party at Novo Brewery in Otay Ranch, the victory sent the crowd into a frenzy. "I literally feel like we're dreaming. Like pinch me, is this really happening?" one attendee said. The milestone resonated deeply with the adults in the room. "This, I felt like my kid was there. Like, honestly," one parent said. "I wanted to cry. It was so amazing." For the younger fans, the moment carried its own message. "Just put in the work every single day and don't give up," one player said. Liam Rathe, one of the kids watching, said, "It was just fun like playing with them and now watching them on TV. Like for these 12 kids to do that, that's just, that's really impressive." When asked if he wanted to be up there one day, Rathe smiled and said, "Yeah."
Before Friday's final, Sweetwater Valley was 14-0 with a 103-12 run differential. That included two 2-1 victories in the Southern California State Championship. The 11-3 victory made it 15-0 overall with a 114-15 margin.
Background
Sweetwater Valley's trip to Williamsport is its second in program history. The team last played in the Little League World Series in 2015, finishing third. In 2019, Sweetwater Valley reached the West Region Championship, but its run ended there. Now, in 2026, the West championship again belongs to the Bonita-based squad.
A Hawaiian team had won the West Region six of the previous seven times it was held. Kawaihau Community of Kapaa, Hawaii, the Hawaii state champion, earned its spot in the championship game with a 5-2 victory over Chandler National Little League of Arizona in an elimination bracket game Wednesday. The 2020 tournament was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sweetwater Valley has now won all four of its tournaments this summer, including the Southern California State Championship.
What's Next
The team was already traveling to South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, on Saturday morning. They will begin play in the 20-team, double-elimination tournament on Aug. 20 against Midwest Region champion Northwest Little League from Davenport, Iowa.
The Little League World Series begins Wednesday.
