WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — They had to wait a couple hours, but Hagerstown's Little League World Series started with a thrilling 8-7 win over Davenport, Iowa.
The game was scheduled to start at 3 p.m. EDT, but rain and lightning pushed the first pitch back to shortly before 5 p.m.
Preston Allred scored the winning run on a throwing error in the bottom of the sixth inning to give Hagerstown the victory in their Little League World Series debut.
Hagerstown jumped out to a 7-1 lead after two innings, but Davenport battled back to tie it in the fourth behind a dynamic pitching performance by Greyson Ballinger, who struck out 10 batters in 4 1/3 innings.
Tied at 7 with one out in the sixth, Hagerstown worked Ballinger for a pair of walks, the first baserunners he allowed since he took over in relief in the second inning. A hard groundball from Kaden Hall was scooped up by shortstop Mason McFate, who stepped on second for one out, but threw wild to first, allowing Allred to score the winning run.
Hagerstown will next play the team from Nolensville, Tenn. on Monday, Aug. 22 at 3 p.m. The game will air on ESPN.
Follow the game with an inning-by-inning recap below:
1st inning: After Davenport took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, Hagerstown responded with four runs in the bottom half of the frame.
Jaykob Troutwine opened the inning with a single and scored one bater later on Kaden Hall's double to tie the game. Graham Vinson reached on a fielder's choice that put Hall out at third, but the Indiana team loaded the bases when Nolan Cheeseman walked and Hayden Moore reached base after a groundout was overturned on replay due to catcher's interference.
Vinson scored on a walk to Heath Johnson to give Hagerstown the lead, then Clark Thornburg's 2-run single made the score 4-1 after one.
2nd inning: After Kaden Hall retired Iowa in order in the second inning, the Hagerstown bats went back to work.
Hall singled with one out, then scored on Vinson's double. Cheeseman and Moore hit consecutive singles, scoring Vinson. Cheeseman scored on a two-out wild pitch before Thornburg struck out to end the second with the Indiana team leading 7-1.
3rd inning: Trailing 7-1, Davenport got back into the game in the third inning, scoring four times.
Greyson Ballinger, who came on to pitch in the second inning and struck out two, punched a bases-loaded single that squirted past right fielder Preston Allred, clearing the bases. Ballinger scored on a throwing error one batter later to get Iowa back within 7-5.
Johnson relieved Hall on the mound to get a pop out to end the inning.
Ballinger then shut down Indiana in the bottom half of the inning, striking out the side.
4th inning: Iowa tied the game in the fourth inning by the slimmest of margins.
With a runner on third base, Ted Swanson hit a sharp grounder into the hole at shortstop. Kaden Hall went down to spear the ball and threw from his knees to first, but Swanson barely beat the throw to the bag for a single. The call was upheld on a very close replay review.
The next batter, Mason McFate, lined a shot to center, which was snagged by Jaykob Troutwine, who unleashed a strike to the plate, but again, the runner beat the tag by a hair, tying the game at 7-7. That call was also upheld by review.
Ballinger again came in to shut down the Hagerstown hitters, striking out two more in the inning.
5th inning: For the first time in the game, no runs were scored in an inning in the fifth.
Heath Johnson worked around a leadoff walk to retire the next three Iowa batters. In the bottom half of the inning, Ballinger again struck out the side, retiring Hagerstown in 10 pitches.
He has struck out 10 of the 11 batters he has faced and has not allowed a baserunner.
6th inning: Johnson gave up a pair of singles in the top of the sixth, but did not allow a run to give Hagerstown a chance to win the game win a single run in the bottom half of the inning.
The Indiana representatives finally reached base on Ballinger when Carter Sullivan drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch with one out. He moved to second on a wild pitch before Troutwine walked, bringing Kaden Hall to the plate.
Hall grounded to short, but the relay throw went wide at first, allowing pinchrunner Preston Allred to score the winning run.
PHOTOS: Hagerstown at Little League World Series
Hagerstown is representing the Great Lakes Region, which consists of teams from Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio.