Elmhurst baseball team eliminated in quest to make Little League World Series 2023

ELMHURST, Ill. (WLS) — The Elmhurst Youth Baseball team, representing Illinois, played Thursday in the Great Lakes Regional Final for a spot in the 2023 Little League World Series.

The game was postponed one day due to storms and rain near Indianapolis Wednesday. And while the west suburban team gave it their all in the pitchers’ duel, they ultimately fell to Ohio 4-0.

For the second day in a row, folks gathered at Doc’s Victory Pub in Elmhurst to cheer the team on.

The Little League World Series will be played in Williamsport, Penn., starting a week from today. Elmhurst had been dominant in recent games.

ABC7 spoke with the team’s manager and a couple players over Zoom Wednesday, and they seemed comfortable on the national stage.

“Just like, it’s like a normal game but on a nicer field and on ESPN,” said catcher Alexander Escarpita.

“Just their camaraderie, how well they work together. They’ve been playing together for a while, and they’re just great kids and friends on and off the field,” said Chrissy Carlson, who was cheering on the team.

Manager Edwin Ramos said after the postponement he was confident his players would stay focused.

And while they may not have triumphed this year, their fans at Doc’s Victory Pub cheered them on the whole way and are no less proud of how far they got.