Strategic tanking has spread to the kids. But this time it backfired.
A team from Snohomish, Washington, was accused by officials of the softball Little League World Series of deliberately losing a game Monday in order to eliminate a team from Slater, Iowa, whom they had narrowly beaten and with whom they apparently didn’t want a rematch.
So the Washington team went out and lost 8-0 to a team from Salisbury, North Carolina, which — because of tie-breakers — ensured Washington and North Carolina would advance and eliminated Iowa.
According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Washington team benched their best players and did things like bunt with two strikes that no team trying to win would do.
“It’s clear to everyone that they basically threw the game,” Chris Chadd, president of Central Iowa Little League told the Des Moines Register. “It’s not the girls’ fault. It’s the coaches … they should be disqualified.”
Incensed officials decided they couldn’t overturn the game result, but instead ordered a rematch between Washington and Iowa.
“The Little League International Tournament Committee recently received credible reports that some teams did not play with the effort and spirit appropriate for any Little League game,” Little League International said in a statement Tuesday.
“Given these circumstances and in order to best determine the second team to advance from Pool B, the Little League International Tournament Committee is requiring that a tie-breaker game be played between the two affected teams — South Snohomish Little League and Central Iowa Little League.”
Though the Iowa team didn’t get their wish for Washington to be disqualified, they did the next best thing.
They won Tuesday’s game by a 3-2 score.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.