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Pearland Little League (PLL) punched its ticket to Williamsport, Pennsylvania on Tuesday for the 2022 Little League World Series (LLWS) by defeating the team from Tulsa, Oklahoma 9-4, per Houston-based media outlets.
The kids from Pearland are winners of the Southwest Regional Championship, which was played in Waco.
According to Houston FOX affiliate KRIV, the LLWS begins on Wednesday, Aug. 17 and runs through Sunday, Aug. 28. PLL’s first game is slated for Thursday, Aug. 18.
Pearland’s regional triumph will be mostly remembered for an outstanding act of sportsmanship shown between its pitcher, Kaiden “Bubs” Shelton and Tulsa batter Isaiah Jarvis.
With an 0-2 count, Houston CBS affiliate KHOU reported, Shelton threw the ball only to strike Jarvis in the head.
The hit by pitch (HBP) upset Shelton, but in what will arguably gone down as one of the most viral moments of 2022, Jarvis went up to his friend and consoled him, per the station.
“What a moment,” Little League’s Twitter account tweeted along with a video of the gesture.
KHOU reported that the meeting between the boys prompted the whole stadium to rise in admiration.
Shelton told the station postgame that he and Jarvis befriended each other before the game.
"Like, two days ago, I walked into their room because the door was open and I picked up a brownie and threw it at the wall,” the right-hander recalled, according to KHOU. "We just became friends after that."
Shelton added that he’s also friends with the entire Tulsa squad.
Houston ABC affiliate KTRK reported that the City of Pearland is rooting hard for its boys of summer.
According to KTRK, Hometown Sports Bar and Grill hosted an official watch party of the matchup with Tulsa.
"I was watching with my family, and so there was a lot of excitement!" attendee Danae Lee told the station.
KTRK reported that this year marks the fourth time PLL has reached the LLWS. Its previous berths were in 2010, 2015 and 2016.