There had never been a team from Utah that played in the Little League World Series.
Until Friday.
The Snow Canyon Little League team became the first ever from the Beehive State to advance to the tournament after it won the Mountain Regional championship game. The Allstars beat Nevada 7-3 behind a stellar performance from Kolby Lamoreaux, who batted in five runs.
Snow Canyon scored two runs in the bottom of the first and took a 2-0 lead, but Nevada came right back in its next at-bat and tied the game.
Lamoreaux, nicknamed “Chops,” pummeled a three-run home run in the bottom of the third inning for a 5-2 lead. The Allstars increased the lead to 7-2 in the next inning.
The World Series begins Aug. 17 on ESPN.
Snow Canyon, from Santa Clara, used a dramatic walk-off victory over Nevada last week to advance to the championship game.
Fans took to Twitter to congratulate the team, including some high-profile people from across Utah.
Teams and fans from around the state have voiced support for the Little League team since that victory on Tuesday. Some sent videos of encouragement to the team. Others used social media, the most recent of which was the Utah Jazz from their official Twitter account.
Others also chimed in on social media in the hours before the game.
BYU baseball players Austin Deming and Luke Anderson recorded videos that were tweeted out by the team’s official account. Both players are alumni of Snow Canyon.
BYU Athletic Director Tom Holmoe and Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell have also tweeted their support.
About two hours before the game, Gov. Spencer Cox added his thoughts and encouragement.
