El Segundo to play Little League World Series U.S. championship game Saturday afternoon

The all-star team from El Segundo faces the all-star team from Needville, Texas Saturday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. in the Little League World Series -- and  "Go Gundo" cheers ring throughout the Southern California beach town.

El Segundo advanced to Saturday's U.S. championship game with a 2-1 win Thursday night, fending off elimination for the third game in three days, beating its counterpart Thursday from the Northeast Seattle Little League.

The team's coach said the run so far has been fantastic.

"This team is special and to do it with your son, and I feel like I've adopted all the other 11 kids out here. I've become a mentor and a role model to them as it relates to baseball and life lessons baseball can teach you," said El Segundo coach Danny Boehle.

"It's just been fantastic, it's just unbelievable the treatment we've had here and from the city of El Segundo and the state of California and every other state around us supporting us has just been incredible."

And the team's hometown is definitely behind them. Watch parties for the games have regularly been promoted at Rock & Brews El Segundo and many other area restaurants/ bars in the area.  A watch party will be held at Rock & Brews El Segundo for Saturday's 12:30 p.m. game.

"I haven't had a conversation that hasn't talked about Brody Brook's phenomenal batting average, the fielding that Colby Lee is doing at second base, every conversation ends with 'go gundo'," said El Segundo City Councilmember Ryan Baldino.

El Segundo faces the all-star team from the Needville. Texas Little League, the Southwest Region champion, in the U.S. championship. El Segundo lost to Needville, 3-1, on Monday, relegating it to the elimination bracket.

D.J. Jablonski is expected to pitch for Needville in Saturday's game. He limited El Segundo to four hits and one run in 5 1/3 innings in a 3-1 victory Monday, with the only run coming on Louis Lappe's first-inning home run. Jablonski hit a solo homer in the fourth.

El Segundo had the tying run on first base with two outs in the bottom of the sixth and final inning after Colby Lee and Brody Brooks were hit by pitches by reliever Easton Ondruch, but Lappe grounded out to end the game.

Needville has played only once since then, defeating the all-star team from the Northeast Seattle Little League 1-0 Wednesday to advance to the U.S. championship game.

El Segundo has played three times since its loss to Needville.

This will be the first time since 1994 a Los Angeles County team has played in the U.S. championship game.

The U.S. champion will face the winner of Saturday's international championship between teams from Taoyuan, Taiwan and Willemstad, Curacao, for the world championship Sunday.

El Segundo Little League All-Stars have a GoFundMe established to offset travel expenses. Click here