Sal Garcia motored into second base after his double, stood tall on the bag and did a little shimmy toward his Elmora Youth Little League dugout. His teammates from Elizabeth, N.J., along with pretty much all of their parents, friends and supporters, shimmied right back.

Garcia’s moves, in the top of the sixth inning of an elimination game Tuesday night at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., were just beginning.

He first pulled into third on a single by J.R. Rosado, who subsequently took second on defensive indifference. Then, with one out, Garcia busted it toward home when the second baseman threw to first on a ground ball. Garcia got in safely — as did Rosado who raced home when the ball squirted away from the catcher on a throw to the plate — and Elmora edged Barrington (R.I.) Little League 2-0.

Garcia’s heroics helped Elmora to keep dancing. The New Jersey team will now play another elimination game, facing Eastbank Little League of River Ridge, La., on Wednesday (11 a.m., ESPN). Elmora will need to win that game and again Thursday to play in Saturday’s U.S. championship game.

“They’re smart baseball players,” Elmora manager Jairo Labrador said. “We’ve been playing together for so long, and I trust Sal and J.R., and I’m not the type of coach to say go or stay at third. You can’t wait for the coach to make that call or you’ll never make it. I trusted them.”

Garcia also was the starting pitcher, and neither he nor the rest of the pitching staff saw many moves on the basepaths. Elmora allowed their first and only hit with two outs in the sixth, the final inning.

Had Barrington recorded a big hit in the bottom of the fifth, Elmora might have been heading home.

The Rhode Island team moved a runner into scoring position with no outs after two straight walks, but Elmora called on Rosado, who struck out three straight. He then struck out the first two batters in the bottom of the sixth before Barrington singled for its only hit.

Elmora had one final move.



Barrington’s Alex Anderson hit a shot to third baseman Derek Escobar, who picked it cleanly with a backhand stab, composed himself, then fired a rocket to first baseman Yadi Mateo, who used nearly all of his 5-foot-10 frame in stretching to record the out.

“That throw could have been airmailed, and the player scores,” Labrador said. “And Yadi’s stretch, he’s so athletic. He sleeps over, and we have dunk contests, and he brings ball through his legs and everything.”

The team full of moves now hopes to boogie for a few more days.