Beyond the Boxscore

Heartbreak in proud Pearland: Little League World Series repeat yanked away, butlegacy lives on

One out away. One out from baseball's little slice of heaven. One out from the Little League World Series.

That's how close Pearland Maroon stood to giving the town a team in the Little League World Series for the second straight year.

But despite a six-RBI dream night from Austin Hurst, five strong innings from pitcher Nick Landrum and the type of all-out, hustle play from the 12 and 13-year-olds that made the greater Houston area fall in love with another Little League team from Pearland last August, the repeat wasn't to be. Down to its last out, Louisiana Lafayette rallied from four runs down to tie a wild, tense Southwest Regional final in Waco and then won it 8-7 in extra innings Thursday night.

Sometimes baseball is cruel. And it all seemingly happens in a flash. Even in a game that's supposed to be the slowest sport of all.

One year after a Pearland Little League team advanced all the way to the U.S. title game of the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., another Little League team from Pearland appeared poised to punch its own ticket to the biggest, little show in baseball.

In fact, for much of the night, it looked like Pearland would coast into the Little League World Series. Pearland jumped out to a 6-0 advantage and still led 7-3 going into the bottom of the sixth, with Lafayette down to its final chance. But when Landrum — dubbed "Big Game Nick" by the commentators calling the game live on ESPN2 — had to leave the game after reaching Little League's limit of 85 pitches thrown, the Louisiana team found new life.

One out away. I t certainly won't stop other kids in Pearland from dreaming about being the Houston area's next winning boys of summer (it's not like the Astros will qualify for that designation anytime soon).

Nick Frudge hit a three-run home run with two outs to forge a 7-7 tie and force extra innings (a regulation Little League game is six innings). Then after Pearland was retired in the top of the seventh, Lafayette quickly scored in the bottom of the seventh to win it, touching off one of those wild, almost-made-for-TV celebrations.

Of course, the cameras largely stayed away from Pearland's heartbroken players.

You couldn't help but root for coach Buddy Ingram's band of battlers as they built that big lead. And you couldn't help but feel for them when it all started to unravel.

Think Major League players face a lot of pressure? The best Little League players know they have one chance, maybe two if they're lucky, to make Williamsport. Then, they're too old. Hunter Pence gets a lifetime of tomorrows in comparison. To get to the final game before the Little League World Series, to get one out away from advancing and then see it end?

It's almost unfathomably cruel.

But the best thing about Little League baseball — the thing that still gives heart to a Little League World Series that's grown from a slice of Americana to a monstrosity that's become a huge ESPN programming platform that turns the games of 12-year-olds into pressure cookers — is that kids are resilient. Whether you have youngsters just starting out in a no-score-kept Tee Ball league or middle schoolers on national TV, this much is true.

So Pearland Maroon still came together in a circle around their coach post heartbreak, still leaned on each other as some of the best teammates anyone will ever have. The cameras have moved on. The love has not.

This Pearland squad still has plenty of reason to be proud. There's Hurst, who had one RBI in the regional coming into the final, coming up with the biggest game of his life. He hit a two-run double in the first and a three-run home run in the third, finishing 3-for-4. The ESPN commentators kept calling him by the wrong name, but who cares when your bat's doing this much talking?

The best Little League players know they have one chance, maybe two if they're lucky, to make Williamsport. Then, they're too old. Hunter Pence gets a lifetime of tomorrows in comparison.

There's Landrum who kept Lafayette's powerful bats in check for five innings in the near 100-degree heat.

There's Baidon Broeder who hit a home run of his own. There's a team full of kids who never stopped believing or playing together, like Hunter Lytle (2-for-4), Richard Mendoza and Jacob Whitehead.

They finished one out away. Which doesn't make it any less of a special summer.

And it certainly won't stop other kids in Pearland from dreaming about being the Houston area's next winning boys of summer (it's not like the Astros will qualify for that designation anytime soon). Pearland came so close to having back-to-back Little League World Series teams. That doesn't happen often or to many cities.

Certainly not one with a population of less than 150,000.

Pearland power? One out away cannot stop that.

Sometimes you don't have to win to keep the dream alive.

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in this corner

Premier Japanese women's wrestling league performs in Houston this weekend

Two Japanese women wrestlers compete in a ring. One is stomping in the other with both feet.

Photo courtesy of Tokyo Joshi

Hard-hitting women's wrestling for two nights in Houston

For the first time ever, one of Japan's premier women's wrestling promotions, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, will be touring Texas, with a two-night stay in Houston this week.

"Bringing TJPW to Texas reflects Tokyo Story’s broader strategy," a Tokyo Story representative writes in an email. "As a Japan-inspired toy and event company, we see major Southwest cities — especially in Texas — as prime for the growth of Asian pop culture. Houston, Dallas, and others are becoming more diverse, culturally curious, and open to new entertainment formats. This isn’t a one-off stop — it’s part of a long-term push to bring Japan’s creativity to cities with eager audiences. And we are making TJPW Live an annual event!"

The events happen on Thursday, July 10 and Friday, July 11 at POST Houston (401 Franklin). Tickets are available at TokyoStoryUSA.com.

TJPW split off from DDT Wrestling in 2012 as a sister promotion (or "league") that ran alongside its male counterpart before becoming its own entity in 2015. In that time, they've launched the career of international superstars like Yuka Sakazaki and Mina Shirakawa (both currently signed to All Elite Wrestling in America), as well as hosting non-Japanese guest grapplers like Thunder Rosa.

The fighting is excellent and often brutal, but TJPW is also known for its playfulness. Matches embrace anime-like absurdity, such as having a wrestler work in a giant panda mascot costume. The promoters are hoping to one day partner with Texas truck stop icon Buc-ee's for a more mascot shenanigans. Many of the women also perform in J-pop girl groups on of their wrestling duties.

On Night 1, strike specialist Miyu Yamashita will take on Maki Itoh, known for her flamboyant style and high risk maneuvers. Night 2 will feature much of the local guest talent, such as Houston's own Kaylia Capri (Reality of Wrestling) vs Yuki Arai in a singles bout, and Austin's Vert Vixen teaming with reigning TJPW tag champ Hyper Misao. Other Texans slated to appear ar Maya World, Alejandra Quintanilla, and Billie Starkz.

The last decade has seen a marked rise in the quality and prestige of women's wrestling in America, with WWE hosting all-women Royal Rumbles and stars like Rhea Ripley and "Timeless" Toni Storm becoming household names. Most major promotions now feature robust line-ups of Japanese women wrestlers, with some like Asuka and Iyo Sky becoming world champions.

For Japan, women's wrestling has a more consistent history of legitimacy going back decades, and the talent pool there is vast. TJPW branching out into Texas tours gives them a chance to showcase their wrestlers in the land that spawned legends like The Undertaker, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and the Von Erich Family.

"The response has been overwhelmingly positive," said the TJPW spokesperson. "Many who had never experienced joshi (women’s) wrestling before are discovering how entertaining, emotional, and uniquely captivating it is. Since announcing the Texas shows, we’ve received a flood of enthusiastic messages — not just from wrestling fans, but from people drawn to the theatricality, comedy, and creativity of TJPW. We've also heard from fans in other states asking us to bring the tour to their cities."