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The bus carrying the Shelton National team drives under the ladder truck from Echo Hose Hook & Ladder Co. as the team arrived back at Sunnyside School from the Little League World Series in Shelton Tuesday afternoon.
LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES BLOG
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Jason Hafele arrived here last week to a surprise.

He walked into Howard J. Lamade Stadium, the main ballpark at the Little League complex here, and was amazed.

"You try to picture it on TV," said Hafele, one of the 12 Shelton National Little Leaguers who made it to the Little League World Series. "It looks nothing like on TV. It's so much better."

Hafele lived up to the stage.

His team played two games at Lamade, winning one Saturday, then losing Monday night in a game that eliminated the team after a 21-game run through the summer.

He had a key infield single in both of those games, one to spark a run-scoring rally Sunday, another to drive in Shelton National's first run Monday.

Some of his teammates got plenty of attention. Some didn't see much of the limelight. But all 12 contributed in some way to the best performance by a bunch of Connecticut 12-year-olds since 1989, when Trumbull won the LLWS.

They enjoyed themselves off the field along the way, too, sequestered in dorms both at the New England Regional in Bristol, Conn., and here.

"It's been awesome," Hafele said. "Usually, just when we play regular season, we usually just see each other then. Now we have more time to hang out."

For their families, that meant a different kind of summer, too.

"A lot of driving to different places," said Steve Boles, whose son, Hudson, was a pitcher, catcher and infielder for the team, "but a lot of fun."

"Little League went above and beyond," added Kristine Boles, Hudson's mother.

The Boles' other three children, Reed, Grace and Lily, were along for the ride, supporting their brother's dream.

"It was tough (for them) all summer long," Kristine Boles said. "We'll do some things for them now, the amusement park, the beach."

A host of family and friends made the trip to Williamsport, and those who saw the whole run saw a bunch of exciting moments.

Shelton National faced elimination three times this summer. Oddly enough, those were its three most dramatic games of the season.

There was a 3-0 win against Stamford Springdale back in the Connecticut Section 1 final, avenging its only loss between June 27 and Aug. 15. There was that insane 2-1 win against Manchester (N.H.) North in the New England Regional final, with two home runs in the top of the sixth inning, sending the team here.

And then there was Monday night, when Shelton National had a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth before Citrus Park of Tampa, Fla., tied it on a home run.

Maybe it ended three games earlier than Shelton National had hoped, but Hafele, at least, seems to understand how special it was for these players.

"We're lucky we made it here," Hafele said, "to have a whole summer to play baseball.

"Other teams wish they were here," he said just before he climbed aboard the bus, the last player on.

Manager Ed Szymansky loaded a cooler into the storage bin, then followed coach Mark Berritto up the steps.

The door closed at 11:38 a.m. Tuesday morning. Home, and football season, were about four hours away.

Shelton National's summer run

CONNECTICUT DISTRICT 3
June 27 — Defeated Peter J. Foley 9-2
June 29 — Def. Shelton American 21-0 (4 inn.)
July 3 — Def. Seymour 12-0 (4)
July 7 — Def. Derby 19-0 (4)
July 11 — Def. Derby 10-0 (5)

CONNECTICUT SECTION 1
July 15 — Def. Fairfield American 16-0 (4)
July 18 — Def. North Branford 7-1
July 19 — Def. McCabe-Waters 4-1
July 20 — Lost to Stamford Springdale 5-8
July 22 — Def. Stamford Springdale 3-0

CONNECTICUT STATE FINAL
July 26 — Def. Ellington 7-0
July 27 — Def. Ellington 10-0 (4)

NEW ENGLAND REGIONAL
Aug. 1 — Def. Camden (Maine) Rockport 12-1 (4)
Aug. 3 — Def. Williston, Vt. 10-0 (4)
Aug. 4 — Def. Cranston (R.I.) Western 4-0
Aug. 6 — Def. Parkway Nat'l (West Roxbury, Mass.) 8-0
Aug. 7 — Def. Williston, Vt. 12-0 (4)
Aug. 9 — Def. Manchester (N.H.) North 2-1

WORLD SERIES
Aug. 15 — Lost to Waipio (Waipahu, Hawaii) 3-1
Aug. 16 — Def. Canyon Lake (Rapid City, S.D.) 9-4
Aug. 18 — Lost to Citrus Park (Tampa, Fla.) 2-8 (7)