Day 3 Recap Of The 2024 American Legion World Series

By: Roger Sigmon – Wise News Network

Shelby, NC (WNN) – Day three, Saturday, August 17th, 2024, of the American Legion World Series was Salute to Veterans Day, sponsored by USAA. Veterans of all the armed forces were given tokens of appreciation, free admission, and recognition by each branch of service. Our veterans are the reason this organization exists, so it is appropriate to set aside a day to honor those who have chosen to protect our freedom. 

Today’s game was the polar opposite of yesterday’s defensive battles on the field. Today was full of explosive offense. There were no home runs but plenty of scoring. The day’s first game, game seven overall, began at noon. Fargo, North Dakota, was back on the field 10 ½ hours after their previous game to face Hudson, Massachusetts. This was the third and final game of pool play for each team. Fargo wasted no time lighting up the scoreboard at the bottom of the first inning, recording four runs while leaving the bases loaded. It was evident this team would not have any sleep hangovers. Again, in the second inning, Fargo would leave the bases loaded, creating an opening for Massachusetts to have a chance to cut into the 4-0 lead. In the top of the third, it appeared Hudson was poised to cut into Fargo’s lead, yet failed to do so by stranding three runners on base. Fargo would add four more runs before Hudson could post a run. They scored three runs in the top of the fifth, but Fargo’s offense clicked on all cylinders and cruised to a 12-3 victory. The win improved Fargo’s division record to 2-1 and put them in a great position to be able to advance to Monday’s semi-final round. The loss dropped Hudson to 0-3 and ended their ALWS run.

The day’s second game would showcase a meeting of two unbeaten teams. Michigan came out with bats blazing and quickly three runs in the first and six in the second inning. Delaware was never able to recover. By mid-game, both teams had begun to substitute players. Michigan improved to 2-0 en route to a commanding lead in their division, while Delaware dropped to 1-1. The “stripes” division is a close race, and everyone is still in contention. After tomorrow’s game, we will know how things shake out for teams advancing to the semi-finals on Monday. 

This year, a mascot has been added to the festivities. The mascot’s name is Al. Kids can take their photos with him, and he interacts with fans throughout the games. Al was not the only excitement for fans today.

In honor of USAA Military Appreciation Day, part of the salute to veterans was a performance by the world-renowned U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute demonstration team. Their performance was moved up a few minutes to avoid stormy weather that was approaching the area. 

The weather would play a factor in the start time of the day’s final game. Lightning was in the area, so the start was delayed by 28 minutes. Ominous dark clouds were rolling in from the horizon, engulfing the area by the midway point of the second inning. The pitter-patter of raindrops began and quickly became a downpour as more lightning caused a weather delay. 

As heavy rain ensued, fans entertained themselves by singing “Sweet Caroline” and dancing to the “Hey Macarena.” Last night’s marathon was still fresh in the minds of game officials and coaches as the decision was made to suspend the game in the top of the third inning in a scoreless battle. 

The game will resume Sunday, August 18th, at 11:00 am and be followed shortly by three regularly scheduled games. There is plenty of baseball left to be played, and seven teams are still in contention for four spots in Monday’s games.

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