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"These young men have made everybody in Illinois proud,"
Blagojevich said. "I want to congratulate Lemont for their amazing
run in this year's Little League World Series. After losing the
first two games of the Great Lakes Region tournament, they rallied
to win four consecutive games, captured the Great Lakes championship
and competed among seven other Americans teams for the World Series
championship."
The Lemont Little League team was led by manager Mike Hall and
coaches Dave Rimkus and Bob Soria. The governor's executive
proclamation commends them and their players: Josh Ferry, Michael
Hall, David Hearne, Andrew Hoffmeister, Marty Joyce, Michael Kamp,
Dane Kempke, Zak Kutsulis, Austin Mastela, David Rimkus, Zack Soria,
Chris Stoeberl and Jeff Worsech.
Lemont lost the first game of the Little League World Series to a
team from Arizona [story
and photos], but thanks to the deft performance by David Hearne,
who pitched a one-hit shutout, they won the next game 1-0 over the
team from New York [story
and photos]. Lemont also won their third game, against a team
from Georgia. In that game, Brian Ferry pitched a second consecutive
one-hitter, struck out 13 batters and led his team to a 2-0 victory
[story
and photos].
That win advanced the team to the U.S. semifinals matchup with
the team from Oregon. Although they had the winning run in scoring
position in the bottom of the last inning, Lemont could not pull out
the victory and lost by a score of 4-3 [story
and photos].
In addition to amazing pitching during the season, the team had a
strong defense to back them up. Balanced from top to bottom at the
plate and in the field, the team liked to pressure opposing defenses
into mistakes with aggressive base-running.
The text of the governor's proclamation follows:
WHEREAS, the 2006
Little League Team from Lemont, Illinois had a remarkable 2006
season. After defeating Mundelein National to earn the Illinois
State Championship, they lost the first two games of the Great Lakes
Region tournament, but rallied to win four games in a row to win the
Great Lakes Championship and earn a spot as one of only 8 American
teams to compete in the 2006 Little League World Series; and
[to top of second column] |
WHEREAS, game one
of the Little League World Series for Lemont ended in defeat at the
hands of Arizona, but they bounced back the very next day in a 1-0
victory over New York. The win was characterized by an outstanding
one-hit shutout performance by pitcher David Hearne; and
WHEREAS, in game
three, Lemont matched up against the team from Columbus, Georgia,
and pitching was again the highlight. Pitcher Brian Ferry tossed
Lemont's second consecutive one-hitter, struck out 13 batters, and
led his team to victory by a score of 2-0. That win advanced the
team to the U.S. Semifinals; and
WHEREAS, the Lemont
team once again played skillfully in game one of the Semifinals,
fighting hard to the very end with the winning run in scoring
position in the bottom of the sixth inning, but the game ended in
defeat to Beaverton, Oregon by a score of 4-3. Despite their
elimination from the tournament, the Lemont Little League team made
an amazing run at the title, and became the first Illinois team
since 1992 to make it to the Little League World Series; and
WHEREAS, Illinois
is proud of the Lemont Little League team for their outstanding
play, and delighted that they are a part of this state's rich
tradition of excellence in sporting and athletics. We commend
players Josh Ferry, Michael Hall, David Hearne, Andrew Hoffmeister,
Marty Joyce, Michael Kamp, Dane Kempke, Zak Kutsulis, Austin Mastela,
David Rimkus, Zack Soria, Chris Stoeberl, and Jeff Worsech, along
with manager Mike Hall and coaches Dave Rimkus and Bob Soria for
their amazing accomplishments in this 2006 Little League Season:
THEREFORE, I, Rod
R. Blagojevich, Governor of the State of Illinois, do hereby
proclaim August 25, 2006 as LEMONT LITTLE LEAGUE DAY in Illinois, in
recognition of their stellar, title-contending season.
No Illinois team has won the Little League World Series in the
46-year history of the event, and only three -- North Roseland most
recently, in 1967 -- have played in the championship game.
[News release from the governor's office] |
