Virginia in no-no mood
Lee, 12, has a hand in consecutive no-hitters just two days apart
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, PA.— Justin Lee is turning into a known quantity for baseball fans of all ages.
The 12-year-old from South Riding, Va., threw the second no-hitter for Loudoun South American Little League on Sunday at the Little League World Series.
The boys from Virginia, the southeast region champion and one of 16 teams to play for a world championship, are the dominant team in the early going of the tournament. And they’ve yet to allow a hit. Lee, middle reliever Liam Thyen and closer Chase Obstgarten combined to shut down New England champion Rhode Island 3-0 on Friday. Lee returned to the mound on Sunday and went the distance against Midwest champion Minnesota in an 11-0 win before a crowd of 15,447 at historic Howard J. Lamade Stadium.
In 54 pitches, 32 of them strikes, Lee struck out six batters and walked only two. The game ended after four innings because of Little League margin-of-victory rules.
“I have no words. It’s just, I guess sometimes you get lucky and this week has been very fortunate for me,” Lee said.
Virginia is the sixth team in Little League World Series history to throw multiple no-hitters in the same tournament. Pitchers have already thrown three no-hitters this year, including the two from Virginia and one from Caribbean champion Curaçao.
Virginia will face the winner of West regional champion Hawaii and Mid-Atlantic champion New Jersey on Wednesday in the U.S. semifinal.
It’s another leg in a dream ride for Loudoun South and manager Alan Bowden. He’s coached the team’s nucleus for a number of years, and 10 of the 13 players on this year’s team were on the 11-year-old team a year ago that won the district and advanced to the regional semifinal.
On Sunday, fresh off the win over Rhode Island, and with close to a week to get used to the attention that surrounds the players here — games are broadcast nationally on ABC and ESPN, and fans hound players for autographs as they walk through the ballpark village — Loudoun South was ready for Minnesota.
Lee said he didn’t know if he’d ever thrown a no-hitter before during his regular season at Loudoun South. He won’t forget these two.