Harrison Campbell
The Nolensville Little League All-Stars will have to battle through the bottom half of the Southeast Region Tournament bracket after opening the tournament with a 2-1 defeat to Florida's Lake Mary Little League.
Lake Mary Little League won last season's Little League World Series but faced a stiff test in the Tennessee side, which has advanced out of the Southeast region in three of the past four years.
Lake Mary got on the board in the top of the first after pitcher Jacob Brown grounded out, sending DeMarcos Mieses home. Lake Mary would hold onto its lead until the fourth inning, when Nolensville's Luke Tomlinson grounded out which sent Brysen Lithmexay home to even the game at one.
It didn't take long for the Florida side to re-establish its lead though, with Brown scoring from third base after a sacrifice fly by Madden Novitchkov in the top of the fifth inning. Brown finished the game with six strikeouts in four innings for Florida, allowing three hits and one earned run.
Nolensville's season will be on the line as its faces the loser of North Carolina vs. West Virigina at 10 a.m. (CT) on Aug. 1, while Lake Mary plays the winner of that game at 4 p.m. (CT). North Carolina and West Virginia play at 12 p.m. (CT) on July 31.
See below for updates from throughout the Tennessee vs. Florida Southeast Region matchup.
Little League World Series regionals: Tennessee vs Florida live updates
Florida defeats Tennessee 2-1 in Little League Southeast Region Tournament
The inning opened with Nolensville's Ben Hackett grounding out before John Ashton McCloud stepped up to the plate and was struck out by pitcher Levi Rodriguez. Rodriguez was replaced by afterwards by Jaxson Roicki.
Roicki closed the show, as Aven Garrett grounded out to the pitcher to secure Lake Mary's third and final out.
Tennessee enters bottom of the sixth trailing by a run
Nolensville Little League held Lake Mary scoreless in the top of the sixth to keep the deficit at 2-1 heading to the plate. Nolensville's Port Burton closed the inning as he stretched to secure a ground ball, finding shortsop Colton Peck on second base as Lake Mary's Major Hohman advanced.
Nolensville's Gavin Meinema hit the game maximum of 85 pitches on the final play.
Florida one inning away from victory
Lake Mary Little League heads into the final inning with a 2-1 lead after holding Nolensville scoreless in the fifth. Gavin Meinema singled to open the inning before Lake Mary's Levi Rodriguez struck out Port Burton.
Colin Gomillion then grounded into a double play as Lake Mary shortstop Jaxson Roicki tagged second before connecting with first baseman DeMarcos Mieses.
Levi Rodriguez takes mound for Florida
Left-hander Levi Rodriguez takes the mound for Lake Mary Little League, replacing Jacob Brown. Brown threw six strikeouts in four innings, allowing three hits and one earned run.
Florida retakes one-run lead in fifth inning
With one out on the board Lake Mary's Colin Anderson singled, putting two runners on base as Jacob Brown advanced to third. Maddox Novitchkov then stepped up and hit a sacrifice fly to center field which sent Brown home to restablish a one-run lead.
Noah Genao was struck out by Nolensville's Gavin Meinema in the next at bat, keeping Lake Mary's lead at one heading into the bottom of the fifth.
Tennessee ties game heading into final two innings
A Gavin Getzlaf bunt single advanced Nolensville's Brysen Lithmexay to third, putting the Tennessee side in scoring position. Luke Tomlinson then stepped up to bat, grounding out but sending Lithmexay home to even the game at one as Getzlaf advanced to third base after stealing second.
Lake Mary's Jacob Brown then closed the inning with a strikeout of Madden Webster.
Tennessee heads to plate trailing by one run
Nolensville Little League has held strong defensively since the first inning, securing three straight outs in the top of the fourth as Jaxson Roicki and DeMarcos Mieses grounded out, while Levi Rodriguez hit a pop fly to Nolensville second baseman Brysen Lithmexay.
Jacob Brown strikes out three batters to close third inning
Lake Mary's Jacob Brown struck out three batters in the bottom of the third, including consecutive strikeouts of Aven Garrett and Jacob McCauley as Nolensville runners sat on first and second base.
Brown is up to five strikeouts in the game, having allowed two hits as Lake Mary holds a 1-0 lead heading into the fourth inning.
Double play by Tennessee keeps Florida scoreless in third
With one out on the board, Lake Mary's Winston Bernstein hit a pop fly which Nolensville's Colin Gomillion collected before throwing out Major Hohman at first base.
Florida's Jacob Brown strikes out two in second inning
We head to the third inning with Lake Mary Little League still leading 1-0, after pitcher Jacob Brown struck out two of three Nolensville batters with nine total pitches in the inning.
Tennessee earns three quick outs
Nolensville Little League secured three quick outs in the top of the second, the most impressive of which coming as third baseman Port Burton dove to secure the second out after Noah Genao's hit.
Florida holds Tennessee scoreless in first inning
Lake Mary Little League heads into the second inning with a 1-0 lead after holding Nolensville scoreless in the bottom of the first. Colton Peck lined out to open the inning before Lake Mary closed the inning with a double play on Luke Tomlinson's hit.
Florida's Lake Mary Little League takes early lead
DeMarcos Meises set the table as he hit a double, advancing Levi Rodriguez to third base. Jacob Brown stepped to the plate next and was thrown out at first, but his hit sent Rodriguez home while Meises advanced to third.
Nolensville collected the third out shortly after and now heads to the plate.
Tennessee vs Florida Little League is underway
Nolensville Little League vs. Florida's defending world champions Lake Mary Little League is underway.
Tennessee vs Florida Little League to begin shortly
The opening game of the Little League Southeast Region Tournament is set to kick off shortly.
Little League World Series: How to watch Southeast Region Tournament?
The Little League Southeast Region Tournament can be streamed on ESPN+, with the final two games of the tournament set to air on ESPN.
How a Little League World Series experience helped Nolensville reach TSSAA baseball state semifinal
Little League World Series: When is Southeast Region Tournament?
The Little League World Series Southeast Region Tournament kicks off in Warner Robins, Georgia, on July 31 before concluding on August 5. Tennessee will kick off the tournament with a matchup against Florida on July 31.
Nolensville Little League Southeast Region schedule
Nolensville's quest for a fourth Southeast Region title in five years begins against Florida on Thursday, with second-round games to come the following day in the double-elimination bracket.
When is the Little League World Series?
Following the conclusion of U.S. regional tournaments on Aug. 8, the Little League World Series will begin on Aug. 13 before concluding with the championship game on Aug. 24.
Harrison Campbell covers high school sports for The Daily Herald and The Tennessean. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @hccamp.