Between the roar of the crowd and the surreal bliss that begins to creep up as reality hits, the distractions that come within the moment make it difficult to empathize with opposing players that are feeling the opposite.

But after Lake Mary Little League earned the state of Florida its first Little League World Series title with its 2-1 victory over Chinese Taipei on Sunday at Lamade Stadium, their gut reaction after their initial cheers was to comfort those undergoing fresh heartbreak.

Having suffered similar heartbreak prior to the journey here, manager Jonathan Anderson and his players couldn’t imagine enduring it on the grandest stage in Williamsport.

“We didn’t get to this mountain to fall off it last year, but we know what it feels like to fall off a mountain,” expressed Anderson. “Some of those kids are probably 12, but they’ll never be able to do this again. Not on this stage. Not in this way.”

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent A Southeast player consoles a Asia-Pacific player after the Southeast won in extra innings Sunday.

For Chinese Taipei, the loss came at the tail end of a journey that began at the end of last year’s event. After falling just short of the World Championship in 2023, Kuei-Shan Little League not only made the journey back to Williamsport but proceeded to build on it.

Even with a whole new roster, their run was reminiscent of last year’s stint, which saw the team make it all the way to the international final without much struggle before taking things one step further in 2024. Like last year, they were a team that others anticipated matching up against, a true challenge for the best of the best.

“They gave everyone a great show,” said Florida’s Lathan Norton on Chinese Taipei. “I feel like if we were going to go up against anyone in the championship, I wanted it to be Chinese Taipei.”

In facing off against the international champion, Florida was pushed to the absolute brink of what they could hope to overcome.

After taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning, Chinese Taipei held the line defensively until the very last out, shutting down every opportunity that presented itself to Florida and stranding 13 runners in the process. It took tremendous poise and grit for Florida to extend the game in the sixth, more so to finish things off.

“They’re the runner up,” said Florida second baseman Hunter Alexander on their opponent. “They played a great game, went eight innings. They’re a great team. How could you not comfort them after a tough game.”

“That team was a well-coached, great fundamental team that just happens to run into a story that wasn’t going to be stopped,” expressed Anderson.

“That coach is a wizard, man. The pitches that he was calling and the way those kids executed to keep us off balance, we were knocking on the door almost every inning. Think about the pitches that guy had to call for the pitcher and how the pitcher had to execute to get out of those innings, leave all those runners on base.”

Though the loss puts a damper on what has been an incredible two-year stint for Kuei-Shan Little League and manager Lee Cheng-Ta, the team still pulled off a historic feat for the region.

After falling in the international final two years in a row, Chinese Taipei advanced to its first world championship appearance since 1996, doing so with an emphasis on teamwork. With continued development in Little League baseball within the region, it seems the future is bright for Chinese Taipei.

It’s an accomplishment the players and coaches can look back on with pride, as they prepare to make the long trek back home.