Taylor North won it's first game at the 2025 Junior League World Series.
TAYLOR, MICH (Fox 2) - Taylor North (Michigan District 5 host team), South-West Germany LL, Mannheim, Germany (Europe-Africa Region), River Forest/Elmhurst LL, River Forest and Elmhurst, Illinois (US Central Region) and Chung-Shan Junior LL, Taichung, Chinese Taipei (Asia Pacific Region) all advanced to round No. 2 of the 2025 JLWS tournament at Heritage Park.
GAME 1 – TEXAS/TAYLOR
Amare Lane made two tremendous running catches in centerfield and then iced Game 1 with a long, two-run home run to left field as the Taylor North Little League (Michigan District 5 hosts) shutout Needville, Texas 3-0 in the Sunday morning opener of the Junior League World Series.
Leading 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth, Lane drilled a 315-foot home run to dead left field to put a ribbon around the victory for the hosts. One of his catches, in deep right-center field, came with two on in the Texas sixth inning when Needville trailed by just one.
Jayden Guardado (second from left) started for Taylor and shut out the Texas offense before he left in the sixth with one out. That’s when lefty Jake Myers (at right) took over and got the last five outs without damage.
Second baseman Bradley Thompson (at left) drove in Taylor’s first run with a third inning single and was also on the end of an odd shortstop-to-right field-to second base double play that closed the Texas fifth inning. That came when the hosts caught a Needville runner venturing too far off second base on a bad throw.
Taylor (1-0) advances to the second round against the US Southeast Regional Champion, Vine Ingle LL of Macon, Georgia. Vine Ingle drew a first-round bye. That game will take place on Monday, August 4, at 2 p.m.
Texas (0-1) moves on to play at 8 p.m. Tuesday, August 5 against a TBA opponent.
GAME 2 GERMANY-PUERTO RICO
Luis Fermin Giere (on right in the photo) doubled home the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh and then mowed down three straight Puerto Rican hitters in the bottom half of the inning as Germany advanced to the second round of the Junior League World Series with a 2-1 victory.
Felippe Morales Weggeman (left) scored the running run on Fermin Giere’s double after singling to start the inning.
It may be a long way from Germany to Taylor, MI, but big arms can make it a pleasant trip.
The South-West Little League team from Mannheim, Germany never trailed in a game that was tied 1-1 from the fourth inning until Fermin Giere’s big hit. Not that it was a "normal" game.
Puerto Rico had 10 runners on base through the first three innings, but only scored once when a soft line drive fell into left-center field. The bases were loaded at the time and one runner scored, but a force out (confirmed by replay) prevented more runs from scoring and helped cut short the inning.
Morales Weggeman started on the mound for Germany and battled through five innings, giving up just one run. He helped himself by picking off four Puerto Rican baserunners. He eventually gave way to Fermin Giere in the sixth inning, who moved down six straight batters including three strikeouts. He was greatly helped in the bottom of the seventh by a fantastic play from deep in the hole at shortstop by … you guessed it, Morales Weggeman.
The only other runs in the game were driven in by Germany’s Tino Bieth and Puerto Rico’s Ryan Montez Marin.
Germany (1-0) advances to the second round of play on Monday, August 4. They will play Australia, who had a first-round bye. Puerto Rico (0-1) plays a TBA opponent at 11 a.m. Tuesday, August 5.
GAME 3 – CALIFORNIA-ILLINOIS
Great throws and a perfect tags come in handy at the Junior League Baseball World Series. Just ask the boys from the River Forest/Elmhurst Youth Baseball Little League out of Illinois.
The US Central Region Champions (1-0) advanced to the second round of the tournament with a 1-0 victory over the Mark West Youth Little League (0-1) from Northern California, who were representing the West Region.
Down by one run with a man on second in the top of the seventh inning, California’s Ayden Cordova singled hard to center field. Illinois outfielder James Carter charged and fielded the ball quickly, firing a strike on the fly to catcher Levi Ardell. Ardell slapped the tag on California’s Quinton Leo for the key out of the game, preventing the tying run from scoring.
The throw stopped California’s rally in its tracks. A hit, wild pitch and one out later, Illinois advanced to the second round.
The huge play backed the shutout pitching of starter Patrick Boeh and reliever Elliot Buchner. Patrick went six full innings and left with a two-hitter. Buchner gave up three hits in a rocky seventh, but most importantly, no runs.
The only Illinois run of the game scored in the second when Charlie O’Neill hit a bases-loaded line drive on one hop to right field. That scored Boeh from third base, but it ended up a fielder’s choice force out at second base. The Illinois rally stalled after that play, but River Forest/Elmhurst had the run they needed.
Illinois advances to a second-round date on Monday, August 4 with US East representative Naamans Little League from Wilmington, Delaware. Naamans had a first-round bye. California will play next against TBA at 2 p.m. Tuesday, August 5.
NOTE: The photo includes Boeh (front, tossing the ball up in the air) surrounded by (from left) Carter, Buchner and Ardell.
GAME 4 CHINESE TAIPEI-LATIN AMERICA
The final team to advance to the second round of this year’s Junior League World Series was the Chung-Shan Junior LL, Taichung, Chinese Taipei, which dominated Latin America 11-0.
Starting pitcher Liao Chang En threw a one-hitter for five innings of the shortened game. He gave up a second-inning double before setting his last 11 batters down in order. He walked one.
Leading 1-0 in the third, Chinese Taipei – the tournament’s 10-time champion – exploded for five runs on just a single hit. The big play was a two-out error on a fly ball. After that error, Chinese Taipei scored five times for a 6-0 lead. Kung Yung Jen drove in two with a single and two more scored on a wild pitch and subsequent throwing error.
Yung Jen doubled in two more runs during a three-run rally in the fifth and Chang En and Wu Ci Yu singled home runs in the sixth.
Chinese Taipei (1-0) advances to face Canada, which drew a first-round bye, at 5 p.m. on Monday, August 4. Latin America (0-1) will play on Tuesday, August 5 at 5 p.m. against a yet-to-be-determined team.
MONDAY, AUGUST 4
- Australia (bye) vs. Germany (1-0), 11 a.m.
- USA Southeast (bye) vs. Taylor North (1-0), 2 p.m.
- Canada (bye) vs. Asia Pacific (1-0), 5 p.m.
- USA East (bye) vs. US Central (1-0) 8 p.m.
All Games at World Series Field in the Taylor North Little League Complex at Heritage Park, 12111 Pardee Road.
Admission is $5 per carload of people per day or $15 for a week’s pass. Tickets are sold upon entry to Heritage Park. Fees include parking and game admission.
For up-to-date results, "how to watch on ESPN+", JLWS highlights and much more, visit the all-new Junior League Baseball World Series website through www.cityoftaylor.com/worldseries. Follow the JLWS on Facebook and Instagram.