LLWS 2013: American Underdogs Most Likely to Surprise

The 2013 Little League World Series is underway in Williamsport, Pa., and the Great Lakes team is one of the American underdogs that could shock the world.

International teams are usually tough to beat, and the teams from the United States will have to be ready to play. The West (Chula Vista, Calif.) and Southwest (Corpus Christi, Tex.) are among the favorites from the United States, and Japan and Mexico figure to be tough outs in the other pool.

Anything can happen in Williamsport. Kids can perform on the big stage and pull off the upset.

Here is a list of teams that can make a run at the title.

 

Great Lakes (Grosse Pointe, Mich.)

The team from Grosse Pointe will be tested in its first game. It has to take on the West, which is one of the favorites to represent the United States.

Although the team went only 4-2 on its way to the Little League World Series, it lost a pair of close games. Two one-run losses were tough to overcome, but the team rebounded to win its final three games.

The Great Lakes team has learned from its losses; it won its next two one-run games, which both happened against Ohio. 

Making it to Williamsport is an accomplishment, but this team wants to win. Catching fire is the key, and the team will have to jump on the West. Getting down early against a favorite would be tough to overcome, so look for the Great Lakes to be ready to go from the first pitch.

 

Midwest (Urbandale, Iowa) 

After qualifying for the Little League World Series, the team from Urbandale is one of the underdogs that can make a run.

They started the qualifying off with a blowout win but had to prove that it could win close games the rest of the way. The games got increasingly tighter the rest of the way, and Urbandale was able to come out on top.

The team went 5-1 during qualifying and won a pair of one-run games to get to this point, including against an undefeated Minnesota.

Unlike the Great Lakes, the Midwest doesn't have to face one of the top teams in the first game. The team gets to face the Mid-Atlantic, so the Midwest could get off to a good start.

 

Southeast (Nashville, Tenn.)

Of the two American teams that already have a lost in Williamsport, the Southeast team has the best chance of turning things around.

The team from Nashville lost its opening game in qualifying to Virginia before running off four straight wins, including a victory over Virginia in the final game. 

Although the end result wasn't what the team had hoped for, the players should feel good about how they played on Thursday.

The Nashville team took on the New England team (recap via GameChanger.io), which is one of the top teams in the tournament. After going down 1-0 in the first, the team battled back to grab a couple of runs over the next few innings. The Southeast held a 2-1 lead entering the bottom of the fifth before allowing two runs. Unfortunately for the players, they couldn't get the tying run. 

Tanner Morgan pitched 4.1 good innings and gave his team a chance to win. Performances like that are what his team will need the rest of the tournament. 

 

*All information is courtesy of the Little League World Series' official website. 

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1740317-llws-2013-american-underdogs-most-likely-to-surprise

Minnesota Timberwolves Kansas City Chiefs