Sept. 24, 2008

LAS VEGAS - At halftime of the Nevada, Reno game this Saturday night, UNLV Athletics will recognize three Las Vegas-based Little League teams that won their respective Nevada State Championships this past July.

All three teams won their local district tournaments and then went on to compete in the state tournament in their age bracket.

The three local teams are:

Spring Valley Little League

Spring Valley won the District 4 Championship in the 10-year-old-and-under division. The team then went to the state tournament in Pioche, Nev., and beat Washoe County in the state championship game, 8-2.

Legacy Little League

Legacy won the District 2 Championship in the 11-year-old-and-under division. The team then went on to the state tournament in Elko, Nev., and beat Mountain Ridge in the state championship game, 7-1.

Paseo Verde Little League

Paseo Verde won the District 2 Championship in the 12-year-old-and-under division. The team then traveled to Elko, Nev., and won the state championship by beating Elko, Washoe County and Mountain Ridge by a combined score of 45-3

Paseo Verde advanced to the Little League West Regional in San Bernardino, Calif., where it beat Southern California, Northern California, Hawaii, Utah and Arizona before falling 4-3 to Hawaii in the West Regional Championship game. The game was played in front of 8,000 people and a national TV audience on ESPN2. The 12-member Paseo Verde team went 14-1 throughout its all-star run and was one win shy of becoming the first Little League team ever from the state of Nevada to compete in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Penn. The Hawaii team that eliminated Paseo Verde went on to win the Little League World Series in late August by beating Mexico.

Only the 12-and-under state champion can advance past the state tournament and complete in the regional for the chance to go to the Little League World Series.