Squad achieves goal 11 months after Maria hit

tact his father in Florida for weeks.

For nearly a month, Guayama was forced to come to grips with its new reality, a tall task for any kid. As families searched for water, gas and other necessities, the Little Leaguers dedicated themselves to whipping their local baseball diamonds into shape.

By mid-October, they were finally ready, and a momentary distraction had arrived.

“The first goal was to bring some recreation to the kids, not to think about what happened at their houses,” manager Carlos Texidor said through an interpreter.

Communicating without a functioning power grid and traveling through debris proved to be difficult, and once the players arrived at practice, they had to cope with fields that were in anything but pristine condition. To make matters worse, they could only play during the day — which is generally avoided in the hot Caribbean climate — and had to share the fields with many neighboring communities.

Yet practice after practice, the determined group of 11- and 12-yearolds kept showing up, and almost a year later, they’re the first team in Radames Lopez Little League’s rich history to make it to the Little League World Series.

“I learned don’t stop, just go ahead,” Delgado said through an interpreter. “Every time.”

The team has lost just twice this summer and went undefeated throughout the Caribbean Regional, scoring 51 runs in the process. They will face another win- oryou’re- out game on Tuesday, and still have to string together three victories to get to the tournament final Sunday.

Lopez said he isn’t ready for it all to end, at least not yet.

“I love to be here,” he said through an interpreter. “I’m really comfortable here and if it’s up to me, I want to stay here.”

He’s not the only one invested in the team.

In the midst of a breakout season, Minnesota Twins outfielder Eddie Rosario has followed the story of his former league diligently. The Guayama native video chats with coaches and players on a near- daily basis, and was on hand when Major League Baseball donated $ 75,000 to Little League International in April.

“I feel really proud for my guys and for Puerto Rico, and my city,” Rosario told The Associated Press in Minnesota last weekend. “I’m so happy for them.

“The coaches are my friends. Everybody over there is good people. They’re very close to me.”

When asked about their favorite part of this journey, Lopez, Delgado and the team’s ace, Eric Rodriguez were all in agreement. It wasn’t a particular game, play, or interaction with a major leaguer that stood out.

“Jugar,” each said. Or, in English, “to play.”