Lubbock Southwest Little League seemed to go out of its way to find the most difficult path as it navigated the 2008 international tournament. Southwest lost its third-round game in the District 2 tournament, but stayed alive by stringing together four consecutive wins in the bottom bracket. They dropped a 3-2 decision to Midland's Mid-City Little League in the first championship series meeting of the Section 1 tournament, and then trailed the same team by an 8-3 margin in the deciding game before clawing back for an 11-8 extra inning win. Naturally, Southwest celebrated that triumph by immediately tumbling into the elimination bracket in the Texas West state tournament in Waco with an 11-0 loss to McAllister Park National Little League before winning twice to reach the championship game.

If Southwest took the back roads to the Texas West championship game, McAllister Park National Little League took the express lane. The longtime District 19 power -- and 2007 Texas West runner-up in the major baseball division -- overwhelmed its first nine international tournament opponents by a 131-10 margin. McAllister Park scored in double-digits in each of their district and sectional wins, as well as their first two state tournament games, and never allowed more than three runs in any contest. The net result of this dominating performance was that the San Antonio league stood just one win away from adding to the collection of major baseball state championships won by McAllister Park Little League in 1987 and McAllister Park American Little League in 2004.

But when Lubbock Southwest and McAllister Park National met to determine the Texas West champion at Marvin Norcross Stadium in Waco, the games were played on Southwest's familiar turf: a loss would end their summer. And Lubbock Southwest wasn't quite ready to go home.

Lubbock rallied from a fifth inning deficit to top McAllister Park National, 8-4, and force the tournament to a deciding game. The next night, Southwest snapped a 4-4 tie with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth before holding on for a 6-5 victory in the tournament's final game. Southwest's ninth win in as many elimination games gave the league its first-ever state championship in the major baseball division, and lifted the team into the Southwestern Region tournament.

"We are just tickled to death for all these kids," said Southwest manager Kyle Gayler. "They've worked so hard and we're proud of them. McAllister Park had never been in an elimination game this year. We've been down in games, we've been down to our last out, and these kids keep coming back. I think they've grown from that experience."

Lubbock Southwest's fifth inning rally in the first championship series meeting changed the course of the tournament. McAllister Park had built a 4-2 lead, thanks in part to Bradley Cooper's two-run homer in the third inning and Joseph Dimaline's run-scoring double in the fifth. But after allowing the first five hitters to reach base safely in McAllister Park's third inning rally, Lubbock pitcher Evan Gayler allowed only two more hits to keep the San Antonio team from pulling away before turning the ball over to reliever Evan Brake in the sixth.

Lubbock Southwest then pulled in front with a six-run rally in the fifth. Evan Gayler narrowed McAllister Park's advantage with a leadoff home run to right field. One out later, Hunter Hays, Brake, and Daniel James hit consecutive singles, then Payton Webster and Cory Schovanec drew walks. By the time Travon Benton capped the inning with a run-scoring single, Lubbock had zoomed from a two-run deficit to a four-run lead, and was just three outs away from victory. Evan Gayler registered the first out before reaching his pitch count limit, then Brake retired the only two batters he faced to close out the win.

"We just had a bunch of guys play well and get key hits," said Kyle Gayler after the game. "And the two home run helped as well."

Benton had given Southwest a brief lead with a home run in the bottom of the first inning, before Cooper's blast and Dimaline's sacrifice fly pulled McAllister Park into the lead.

The next night, Benton continued his power surge, homering twice and later scoring the deciding run as Lubbock Southwest held off McAllister Park, 6-4.

Benton's first home run, a two-run drive over the right field fence, opened the scoring in the first inning. His next, a leadoff shot in the third, gave Southwest a 3-1 lead. But Benton's biggest contribution was on the mound, where he wiggled out of danger throughout the game. Benton surrendered five walks but allowed no hits, and McAllister Park stranded seven baserunners through four innings before Benton reached his pitch count limit in the fifth. For the game, McAllister Park left eleven runners on base, including five in scoring position. They left the bases loaded in the third, and stranded two baserunners in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings.

McAllister Park quickly drew even after Benton switched positions. Dimaline greeted Lubbock's reliever with a double to center field, and Jack Thompson followed with a run-scoring single. One out later, Nick Schaker drove a double to left field that scored Thompson and evened the score.

Lubbock Southwest responded in the bottom of the inning. Benton opened the inning with a single to right, and one out later, Chris York singled to left. Benton scored on Hays' groundout, then Brake provided an insurance run by driving an RBI double to right field.

McAllister Park scored an unearned run and put the winning run on base in the sixth before Brake registered the game's final out, and made Lubbock Southwest the third consecutive Texas West champion to emerge from District 2.

Lubbock's late inning rallies were absent in the teams' first meeting, when McAllister Park National rolled past the Section 1 champions, 11-0, in the tournament's opening game. McAllister Park ended any suspense early with a six run push in the second inning. The Section 3 winners got offensive contributions from all points in their lineup: each of the team's eleven players contributed either a hit, a run scored, or an RBI. Second baseman Ben Brookover doubled and homered to lead the attack, while first baseman Johnny Whalen contributed three singles and catcher Matt Myers drove in four runs. M.J. Baker added a two-run homer.

Cooper, the McAllister Park starting pitcher, allowed just three hits while striking out seven in his four innings of work.

"Everything just kind of got away from us," said Kyle Gayler, whose team allowed 13 hits, five walks, a hit batsman, four passed balls, and two wild pitches. "We'll have to come out and obviously make fewer mistakes (in the next game) so we don't put ourselves in that same position again."

The next day, Lubbock Southwest scored in each of its three offensive innings in a mercy rule-shortened, 12-2 victory over Five Diamonds Little League. Five Diamonds had extended Wichita Falls Little League to ten innings the previous night before falling, 4-3, but trailed Southwest from the start in this game thanks in part to Benton's two-run homer in the first. Brake added a second inning grand slam, and Evan Gayler collected three hits for the winners.

"We played well all-around," noted Kyle Gayler. "We hit the ball when we had guys on base and kept ourselves from making too many mistakes. We just have to go out and do the same thing tomorrow."

The team's approach the next night was a carbon copy, as Southwest eliminated Wichita Falls, 8-3. Benton and Evan Gayler drove in first inning runs to give Lubbock an early lead, and the two players each homered in the second as Southwest broke to an 8-1 lead after three innings. Schovaec earned the win with three innings of one-hit pitching before Wichita Falls added a pair of late runs.

Lubbock Southwest's state title earned the team a return trip to Waco for the Southwestern Region tournament. The Texas West champions opened the tournament with a pair of wins, and advanced to the semifinal round before falling, 1-0, to Texas East champion Lamar American Little League.