Eastbank uses monster comeback to beat Mississippi in LLBWS Southwest Regional opener

WACO, Texas — In 2022, Eastbank’s run ended in the Southwest Regional, and one of their losses came courtesy of the Starkville program.

Today, the group from Kenner, Louisiana, avenged that loss.

Eastbank defeated Starkville, Mississippi, 8-7, on Thursday afternoon in the Little League World Series Southwestern Regional Tournament opener.

The victory, anything but easy for a program that hoisted the Little League World Series trophy six years ago.

“We faced adversity all year. This was no different. Our backs were against the wall. It was in state, and we had to win five elimination games in a row just to get here. We’ve been through this. They’re a resilient group. All they know how to do is fight, and that’s what they did this game,” said Eastbank head coach Scott Ledet.

Starkville jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the top of the third inning, but Eastbank would spend the next two frames chipping away at the lead.

Eastbank scored one run in the bottom of the third, one in the bottom of the fourth, and five in the bottom of the fifth to take the one-run advantage.

The big hits that put Louisiana over the top came from two of the biggest bats in the lineup.

With two on base in the bottom of the fifth, Collin Johnson delivered a two-RBI double to the gap in left center field that would tie the game at seven. He finished the day three-for-three at the plate with two RBIs.

“It feels great. Our mindset was we knew we’d been in that situation before, and there wasn’t a lot of pressure because we had plenty more innings,” said Collin Johnson.

Moments later, the three-hole hitter, Cristiano Windham, smoked a ground-rule double to left field that would score the go-ahead run.

In the top of the sixth, Eastbank’s sixth pitcher of the game would close out Starkville.

“Started off slow, but as the game went on, we got better and better and found a way to win,” said Cristiano Windham.

With the win, Eastbank now advances to the winner’s bracket, where they will play Friday at 1 p.m.