LAKE MARY, Fla. — The city of Lake Mary is gearing up for a parade Saturday to celebrate the Lake Mary All Stars’ Little League World Series championship, the first for any team in Florida.

What You Need To Know

  • Lake Mary to head home as Little League World Series champions after beating Taiwan Sunday

  • The city of Lake Mary will host a parade to celebrate the team's title and accomplishments 

  • The parade will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday in downtown Lake Mary on 4th Street 

The team, which represented Florida and Southeast Region, secured the title with a dramatic comeback in the eighth inning, taking advantage of a bunt and a costly error by Taiwan to bring in the winning run. Teams representing Florida have made eight previous appearances in the tournament.

The city had planned a parade anyway to honor the team for winning the Florida and Southeast Region titles. On Saturday, all of Central Florida can come out to cheer on the players and coaches for their World Series championship. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. on Fourth Street in downtown Lake Mary and is expected to conclude by 1 p.m. The entire road will be closed off for the event.

But first, the All-Stars are scheduled to fly into Orlando and arrive at about 4 p.m. EDT Monday.

Lake Mary City Manager Kevin Smith praised the team’s coaches and players for their dedication and teamwork.

“To say they did a phenomenal job would be an understatement,” Smith said. “The love and effort shown by Coach (Jonathan) Anderson, Coach Bono, and Coach Bebo truly made this team a family, and that bond led them to victory."

Smith also recognized the commitment of the players' parents, thanking them for their unwavering support throughout the season.

But of course, the players are the ones who did the work on the field. They had to fight their way back after dropping a game to Boerne, Texas, in their second game of the Little League World Series 4-1. Lake Mary defeated the Midwest, Northwest, Metro, West and Mountain regions on the way to the U.S. title game, a rematch with Boerne, Texas, and prevailed in that game 10-7 after Luis Calo hit a go-ahead two-run double in the sixth inning.

The World Series championship game against Taiwan, representing the Asia-Pacific Region, was a battle, too. Lake Mary trailed 1-0 after giving up a run in the first inning. But in the bottom of the sixth inning, Lake Mary tied the score when first baseman DeMarcos Mieses drove a ball into the gap in shallow left field, giving shortstop Chase Anderson enough time to sprint home from second base and force extra innings.

In the bottom of the eighth, Lathan Norton was placed on second base by rule to start the inning. Second baseman Hunter Alexander stepped to the plate and bunted, and the throw to first base went into the outfield when no one covered the base for the winning run, allowing Norton to score. Norton also pitched the final 3-2/3 innings, striking out four without allowing a run.