The Gray-New Gloucester/Raymond, Maine, Little League team was ousted from the Little League World Series on Saturday.
The Maine team had rallied to tie the score at 3-3 but ultimately fell in the final inning, losing 5-3 to Media, Pennsylvania, in the elimination game. Defense hurt Gray-New Gloucester/Raymond, as the team committed four errors, including two errors in the first inning and one in the decisive sixth inning.
Gov. Janet Mills called it a "heartbreaking loss" but said Maine is so proud of this team and all they have accomplished.
According to NBC10 Boston affiliate News Center Maine, many Mainers were in the stands Saturday at Howard J. Lamade Stadium to cheer the team on, despite Gray, Maine, being a long 503 miles away from Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
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Gray-New Gloucester/Raymond, the fourth team from Maine to compete in the Little League World Series, finished 0-2 in the tournament, losing 10-0 to a team from Seattle, Washington, in its debut game.
Manager Brad Shelley had earlier said just being in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, was an incredible experience for his team.
"The sky is the limit," he said. "You know, they earned their way here, they weren’t given this opportunity, they earned their way here. And to go out here and play their baseball, they can compete with any team here and leave it all out there."
This was the first time a Maine team had been part of the tournament since 2005, and only the fourth ever.
The Little League World Series runs from Aug. 16-27. In all, there are 20 teams -- 10 from the U.S. and 10 international teams. A team from Smithfield, Rhode Island, is still in the tournament, playing in an elimination game on Sunday.
Click here for our full guide to the 2023 Little League World Series.
