Mo’ne Davis’ Little League World Series Run Ends

There will be no more Mo’ne Davis, at least for now.

The Sports Illustrated cover girl and her Philadelphia team are out of the Little League World Series after losing an elimination game Thursday night in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to a squad from Chicago.

Mo’ne’s Taney Dragons jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, but it didn’t last. The Jackie Robinson West Little League club went ahead 4-2 in the bottom of the first inning, and added two more runs the next frame.

Taney narrowed the score to 6-4 in the fourth inning, then to 6-5 the next. But despite advancing the tying runner to third base in the bottom of the sixth and final inning, the Dragons couldn’t finish off the comeback.

The result means Chicago will face off against Las Vegas at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday for the U.S. championship. The winner of that game plays for the World Series title on Sunday.

It also ends Mo’ne’s high-profile run on youth baseball’s biggest stage. While other girls have played in the World Series, none have gotten the same attention as the South Philadelphia resident and Taney Dragons standout.

The 13-year-old became a national sensation after tossing a shutout — giving up three hits and notching six strikeouts in the process — to help Taney become one of the final 16 World Series contenders.

Mo’ne persistently deflected attention to her teammates — all of them boys — even as the media consistently made her the headline. She recalled how she happened into baseball after a coach spotted her tossing a football, how her stellar play caught some off-guard and how she interacts with her teammates.

One would expect, then, that this will all die down. Mo’ne is too old to be in another World Series.

But that doesn’t mean we won’t hear from her again.

The Sports Illustrated cover says it straight out: “Mo’ne — remember her name (as if we could ever forget).” The accompanying story says Mo’ne’s first love is basketball and her dream is to play for legendary coach Geno Auriemma’s University of Connecticut team.

Elliott Hughes-Taylor doesn’t doubt Mo’ne can do it, saying she “completely dominated the Philly league (despite) every play matching up with 6-foot-2, 6-3 boys.”

“Everyone’s seen her pitch,” Hughes-Taylor, Mo’ne’s coach in soccer, told SI. “Well, I promise you, she’s five times better at basketball.”

Click here to read more about Mo’Ne Davis.