by PONY League Baseball
WASHINGTON, Pennsylvania- James Jimenez allowed one run over seven innings and smashed a two-run home run in the top of the eighth to crown Covina, CA the 2017 Dick’s Sporting Goods PONY League World Series Champions with a dramatic 3-1 victory over Seoul, Korea in eight innings.
Covina’s win was the third Dick’s Sporting Goods PONY League World Series championship for the city and its first since 1999.
The victory also marked the 22nd champion crowned from the state of California and the first since 2012.
Jimenez became the 24th pitcher to win three games in a single Dick’s Sporting Goods PONY League World Series, the first since 2012 allowing one run, four hits, one walk and nine strikeouts over seven innings.
Covina trailed from the first inning until the seventh inning when Hector Bautista tied the game on an RBI single with two outs, making the score 1-1.
Jake Vargas and Anthony Rasmussen combined for one inning of relief, allowing three hits and struck out two.
Rasmussen’s picked up the save to solidify Covina’s victory.
Korea’s lone offense came when Kim Min-Hyuk doubled in Bae Hun-Jun making it 1-0 in the bottom of the first.
Korea was silenced offensively until the bottom of the eighth with two outs, but couldn’t muster a run.
Lee Yong-Jun stifled Covina early allowing just three hits over five innings, striking out four.
Choi Woo-In, Chang Seung-Jun and Park Jun-Young combined for three innings of relief, allowing three runs, five hits and struck out three. Park Jun-Young was credited with the loss.