It's time to celebrate Hagerstown's run to the Little League World Series

Zach Piatt, Richmond Palladium-Item
·4 min read
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HAGERSTOWN, Ind. — The Little League World Series (LLWS) run for the boys from Hagerstown is over. The team has returned home from Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Now that they're here, it's time to celebrate.

Hagerstown will host a parade for the Little Leaguers starting at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27. The mile-long parade will start at Hagerstown Elementary School, run through downtown and finish at Hagerstown Park. Once the team arrives at the park, according to a Hagerstown release, there will be a meet and greet and autograph session with the players and coaches.

Hagerstown, Ind.'s Preston Allred (1) celebrates with teammates after scoring the winning run on a ball hit by Kaden Hall, as Davenport, Iowa's Theodore Swanson, right, watches during the bottom of the sixth inning of a baseball game at the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pa., Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. Indiana won 8-7.
Hagerstown, Ind.'s Preston Allred (1) celebrates with teammates after scoring the winning run on a ball hit by Kaden Hall, as Davenport, Iowa's Theodore Swanson, right, watches during the bottom of the sixth inning of a baseball game at the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pa., Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. Indiana won 8-7.

Shops and restaurants will be open around town to help celebrate the team. The release encouraged celebrants to bring bikes and good walking shoes due to limited parking.

More:Hagerstown to represent Indiana at Little League World Series after walk-off regional win

"What an amazing journey this team took us on this year. They may be out of the tournament, but these boys are winners, every single one of them," a Hagerstown Little League Facebook post read. "The past month and a half has been the stuff that dreams are made of. Every kid who has ever picked up a baseball has dreamed of playing in Williamsport, and these kids got to live that dream."

The Little League team from Davenport, Iowa, lines the first baseline and Hagerstown, Ind. lines the third baseline during player introductions before a baseball game in Lamade Stadium at the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pa., Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022.
The Little League team from Davenport, Iowa, lines the first baseline and Hagerstown, Ind. lines the third baseline during player introductions before a baseball game in Lamade Stadium at the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pa., Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022.

This all-star team was the first from Hagerstown to ever make it to the LLWS, and it made its mark by winning its first game in walk-off fashion. The players' fun-loving, loose personalities — now broadcasted for the world to see — won over their small hometown of 1,700, the entire state of Indiana and even more from across the United States and the globe.

These kids made history in front of an audience bigger than they could imagine, and that’s what they’ll remember years down the road.

"This team will be forever remembered not just in Hagerstown, but all over the country," the Facebook post read. "Thank you for taking us along for the ride. The level of support the boys have received from far and wide is indescribable. Every Little League season is enjoyable in Hagerstown, Indiana. Thank you for making this one unforgettable."

More:Community support lifts Hagerstown to first Little League World Series win

Everyone who watched this group of 12-year-olds from Hagerstown knew right away that they had a lot of fight in them. You could tell when Graham Vinson hit a walk-off line drive to the wall against Kentucky to send his team to the LLWS. You could tell when Kaden Hall drove in the game-winning run against Iowa in Hagerstown's first-ever LLWS game. You could tell when Nolan Cheeseman tied the game with a clutch hit against Tennessee to force extra innings.

More:Hagerstown falls in quarterfinals, playing to stay alive in Little League World Series

Hagerstown, Ind.'s Kaden Hall (19) celebrates on second base after hitting a double during the sixth inning inning of a baseball game against Nolensville, Tenn., at the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pa., Monday, Aug. 22, 2022.
Hagerstown, Ind.'s Kaden Hall (19) celebrates on second base after hitting a double during the sixth inning inning of a baseball game against Nolensville, Tenn., at the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pa., Monday, Aug. 22, 2022.

That's why it was so hard to watch their fairytale run come to an end in a 10-0 loss to Pennsylvania.

More:Live updates from Hagerstown's Little League game against Pennsylvania

Still, the positivity shined through. Down 4-0 in the third inning of their final game, Hagerstown manager Patrick Vinson visited the mound and reminded his players what they were there to do, and that was to have fun. In the most encouraging voice he could offer in the moment, he told them, “You guys are acting like it's a 14-0 ballgame. It's 4-0. We've come back from that.”

Hagerstown couldn't keep the magic going this time and were eliminated from the tournament the following inning. It was then that the sea of Great Lakes orange and blue in Williamsport and the sea of Hagerstown purple back home collectively gave their team a proper sendoff.

Saturday, those colors will come together to celebrate the most memorable summer in Hagerstown Little League history.

Zach Piatt reports on sports and education for The Palladium-Item. Contact him at zpiatt@gannett.com or on Twitter @zachpiatt13.

This article originally appeared on Richmond Palladium-Item: Little League World Series 2022: Hagerstown's run ends after 3 games