Chaires Capitola stuns Lake Mary, winning Florida Little League title

Chaires Capitola was indistinguishable from Norway's national soccer team, sitting under the scoreboard that displayed its most recent and important win,

The Tallahassee baseball players sat in lines, pulling imaginary oars and shouting "Ro!", a chant the team adopted during districts. With no drum, Chaires Capitola banged twice against the fence instead. Chaires Capitola had taken down Lake Mary, the Little League World Series equivalent of Norway defeating Brazil.

Chaires Capitola won the Florida state championship 6-0 on Monday, July 27, 2026, at Twin Lakes Park in Sarasota, advancing to the Southeast regional in Warner Robins, Georgia. The Tallahassee team shut out Lake Mary, which has won the last three state titles and the Little League World Series in 2024 . Starting August 6, they will take on teams from seven other states, from Alabama to West Virginia, to see which one will represent the Southeast at the Little League World Series.

"It means the world to us," manager Aleck Del Prado said. "But I especially love it just because of the boys. It's a great group of boys and they've worked hard to get to this point, and to be able to believe in their abilities and believe in each other, that's what it's all about. They're 12-year-olds having fun, playing baseball in the summer."

Before the game — which was delayed a day late due to weather — Del Prado kept his message the same: Don't be scared. Sure, Lake Mary is a powerhouse, but his players had to remain calm and take a breath, despite the constant schedule shifts and the opponent.

"We have a great squad, too," catcher Everett Fiero said. "They're a great team. We just played better today. It's very hard to come in there and shut out a team like that."

The Tallahassee team got to work in the top of the first. With two runners on, Camden Arnold hit a two-run triple to deep right.

The 2-0 score stayed the same until the fifth inning thanks to left-handed pitcher Xavier Schenck, who kept Lake Mary at bay. With bases loaded at the top of the fifth frame, Kai Stephens sent a triple down the left field line, sending three runners home before Arnold’s single pushed in one more.

After Chaires Capitola recorded the final out, the team stormed home plate, hopping on top of one another in a dog pile.

"I'm very excited," Fiero said. "It meant a lot to get this win with the boys cause we've all been playing with each other since we were 4 years old. It's just a big thing, and I'm super excited to represent Florida in the Southeast."

Chaires Capitola will start practicing again next week before traveling to Georgia. There, the 12-year-olds from Tallahassee will hope they can pretend to sit in boats once more, pulling imaginary oars.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Chaires Capitola stuns Lake Mary, winning Florida Little League title

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