Press Release PONY League World Series
The qualifying tournaments are complete, the bracket is set. Now, the World Comes to Washington, PA for the 205 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series. All of the games will be available online via MLB.com with links to the live feed and iScore gamecast on plws.org and pony.org.
Tournament play begins Friday at 5:30 pm when South Zone champion NASA-Houston, Texas takes on Caribbean Zone champion Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. NASA-Houston is fresh off an extra-inning win over Brownsville, TX, 8-6, Monday night at the South Zone Championships in Burleson, TX. Despite suffering two losses in the early rounds of the Caribbean Zone Tournament in mid-July, Mayaguez avenged an early loss to 2014 PLWS qualifier Levittown, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, winning 11-1 in the Zone final.
Opening ceremonies follow Game 1. Then, two familiar opponents go head-to-head as Host Area champion Johnstown, PA faces North Zone champion Bay County, MI. The two teams have faced each other at the World Series four times since 2009. Bay County has won three of those games, including a 4-2 victory opening night last year.
The annual PONY Champions League opens the day Saturday, August 8, at 10 am. Tournament play resumes at 12:00 noon as East Zone champion Hagerstown, MD meets Mazatlán, Sinaloa, MX. Making its first appearance since 2008, Hagerstown faces a program sending its first-ever representative to the PLWS. Mazatlán will be trying for Mexico’s first PLWS crown since Monterrey won it in 1972.
Action continues at 2:30 pm as Host Washington, PA faces European Zone champion Vienna, Austria, making a first-ever appearance at the World Series. Washington topped European Zone champion Brno, Czech Republic 17-4, in last year’s opening round. The European Zone owns a 2-1 edge in the all-time series against Washington.
Saturday’s third game is set for 5:30 pm with Asia-Pacific Zone champion, Taoyuan County, Chinese Taipei, to play the Mayaguez/NASA-Houston winner. Teams from Chinese Taipei have won six PLWS titles, including four in a seven-year span from 1994-2000. The game will be regionally broadcast on CBS “Pittsburgh’s CW,” with long-time Pittsburgh Pirates announcer Lanny Frattare calling the play-by-play. KDKA Morning News anchor Rick Dayton will be the color analyst.
After Sunday morning’s Breakfast of Champions, San Bernardino, CA, the West Zone champion, takes on the Vienna/Washington winner at 12:00 noon. California teams have captured 21 PLWS titles all-time, the most of any state or country. San Berdoo qualified for three of the first four PLWS events and is back in the World Series for the first time since then (1955).
The double-elimination tournament run ends for two teams. Game 7 (2:30 pm) and Game 8 (5:00 pm) feature squads that lost opening round games. Additional elimination contests are slated for Monday and Tuesday, 10:00 am & 12:30 pm both days. Winners’ bracket games are on tap for Monday at 5:30 & 8:00 pm.
The Division Championship games are on Tuesday evening’s schedule, starting at 5:30 pm & 8:00 pm. Depending on those results, “If Necessary” games would be played during the day Wednesday (10:00 am / 12:30 pm).
The DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series Championship Game is slated for Wednesday, Aug. 12. First pitch is scheduled for slightly after 7:30 pm. CBS “Pittsburgh’s CW” will broadcast the game regionally for the second year in a row.
Coverage of all the action of the 2015 DICK’S Sporting Goods PONY League World Series is available at plws.org, the Observer-Reporter newspaper (in print and online), WJPA-AM (1450) and through the World Series social media web sites (Facebook: PONY World Series and Twitter: @plws2015