Little League World Series Team's Strategy Sparks Controversy
On Monday night, Connecticut's Fairfield squad kept its Little League World Series dream alive by defeating Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Connecticut's offense scored 10 runs in the sixth inning on Monday night to put the finishing touches on a 13-1 victory over South Dakota. Their sixth-inning surge was anchored by Tommy D'Amura and Jimmy Taxiltaridis. Right-hander Luca Pellegrini, meanwhile, pitched extremely well for Fairfield, striking out six batters and giving up one run on two hits.
"It was great because we had great pitching by Luca," D'Amura told ESPN, via CT Insider. "And I just felt like my swing was on point today and I had a great day in the cage, so everything worked. It's just awesome how everyone can hit and just stay on track."
Not only did Connecticut's bats come alive in the sixth inning, they had South Dakota struggling to contain their strategy on the base paths.
During the sixth inning, Connecticut had four batters reach second base on a single due to defensive indifference. After it happened the first time, South Dakota had a meeting on the mound to discuss strategy. Clearly, that didn't work.
Connecticut's clever base-running strategy had South Dakota's defense in disarray for several minutes.
Fans were torn on Connecticut's strategy.
"I barely watch the little league World Series but Connecticut just ran the same play against North Dakota like 5 times in a row and it worked every time, and North Dakota didn't change a single thing they did despite 2 mound visits during that time," one fan pointed out.
"This Connecticut Little League team is messing with this team from South Dakota and it's diabolical," a second fan wrote on X.
"This Connecticut team is so funny," another fan said. "They have stolen second base FOUR separate times one right after another after hitting the ball straight down the middle every single time."
Connecticut's coaching staff defended its decision to deploy this strategy against South Dakota.
"Batting around is something we've done multiple times this summer," Fairfield manager Brian Palazzolo said. "We like to cause chaos on the basepaths. We were able to show it tonight. Hits, walks, we were able to take advantage, keep the train moving. It was great."
Next up for Fairfield National is a showdown with Summerlin South Little League of Las Vegas. That game is set for this Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET.
Little League World Series Team's Strategy Sparks Controversy first appeared on The Spun on Aug 19, 2025
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Aug 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
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