About 24 hours earlier, Drummond had gathered his players on the field at the end of an amazing odyssey.

Trailing by a run in the bottom of the fifth, the Indiana state champions loaded the bases with two outs against Pennsylvania ace Reagan Bills, the tournament’s dominant pitcher.

The win came in front of a packed Stallings Stadium crowd and a national ESPN audience, with every pitch carrying championship weight.

The Floyds Knobs Little League softball team seized its biggest stage yet Wednesday, shutting out Brazil, 2-0, on ESPN2 to advance in the Little League Softball World Series.