And only two teams defeated Hilo in the postseason—Lincoln Glen and the all-stars from the South U.S.

But it was Hawaii, not Lincoln Glen, winning the Senior Division World Series last weekend ... it was all a matter of timing.

Hilo lost 2-1 to Lincoln Glen in the Senior Division Western Regionals, but that loss was sandwiched by a pair of Hawaii wins over the San Jose club.

Hawaii won the title in the Western Regionals in Lemoore, Calif., to earn a berth in the World Series in Bangor, Maine. Just a week later, Hilo was the world champ.

Still, despite the tough losses to Hawaii in Lemoore, it was quite a run for the boys from Willow Glen.

"We were in the top three or four in the world," said Curt Becker, the club's manager. "We were just one pitcher short."

Lincoln Glen won 11 straight games in the postseason, taking the District 12, Section 5 and Division 2 championships before advancing to the Western Regionals. After opening with an 18-1 win over San Pedro in Lemoore, Lincoln Glen lost a 4-3 heartbreaker to Hawaii to suffer its first loss of the season.

The locals fought back with a 12-6 win over Arizona, then scrapped for a tight 2-1 win over Hilo to push their way into the championship game. But the pitching ran out for the Lincoln Glen all-stars, and they lost 10-2 to Hawaii to settle for second place in the Western Region.

The biggest win of the postseason for Lincoln Glen was the 2-1 victory over Hilo in the regional semifinals.

Greg Shannon tossed the locals to the key win, just as he did so many times in tournament play.

"He was just wonderful," said Becker of the Lincoln Glen ace. "He was almost unhittable."

Hilo scored a run in the second to take the early lead, but Casey Brooks doubled and scored a run in the fourth to tie it.

Lincoln Glen plated the game winner in the sixth when Kevin Becker walked, stole second, took third on an error and scored on an infield hit by Garrett Armstrong.

Shannon took it from there. He retired six of the next seven Hilo hitters—four of them on strikes—to clinch the win.

Armstrong finished with two hits in the game and Andrew Silva, Steven Rebagliati and Shannon added hits for Lincoln Glen.

But the locals ran out of steam a game later, losing 10-2 to Hawaii in the championship game. Armstrong and Becker had two hits apiece to lead a eight-hit attack for Lincoln Glen. Johno Shaffer, Brooks, Scotty Glicksberg and Silva also had hits in the game.

The locals, who averaged almost 10 runs a game and boasted a team batting average of .343, opened the Western Regionals with a rousing 18-1 win over San Pedro.

Becker was 4 for 4 and knocked in three runs and Brooks was 3 for 3 with a double and drove in two to lead the offensive attack. Nicky Graziano singled and doubled to drive in three runs in the win and Rebagliati had two hits.

Silva, Jimmer Castignani, Glicksberg and Shannon also had hits in the win.

Shannon tossed a 3-hitter for the mound win, striking out five in the five-inning game.

Silva had two hits and Armstrong clubbed a triple, but Lincoln Glen lost 4-3 to Hawaii. Shaffer, Jeremy Bays, Brooks and Rebagliati also had hits in the game.

Lincoln Glen fought back through the loser's bracket with a 12-6 win over Arizona to get another shot at Hawaii. Bays was the winning pitcher for the locals.

Silva had three hits, Shaffer homered and Becker and Bays each singled and doubled to lead the Lincoln Glen offense. Armstrong added two hits and Glicksberg, Brooks, Steven Giordano, Rebagliati and Shannon had one each.

It's been quite a run for the core group of this senior club in postseason play. As 13-year-olds, they won the District 12 championship. As 14s, they took the district and sectional crowns, and as 15s they won district, section and division championships before losing in two at the Western Regionals.

This year, they matched their performance of last year, but came through with a much better regional showing. In fact, there was only one team better—and that team was the world champion.