Eastvale Little League baseball team beats Hawaii, closing in on World Series appearance

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KABC) -- Riverside County's Eastvale Little League team defeated Hawaii in a semifinal game and moved closer toward earning a berth in the World Series.

"We're definitely ready for Friday," said Coach Corey Tatum about the championship game of the Little League Baseball West Region tournament.

The young players said they're having a lot of fun playing - and winning!

"We stay together and we've been doing that for these last tournaments and we've really bonded well together," said player Gavin Cruz. "We help each other out with mostly everything we do."

Since the regional game isn't too far from the boys' hometown, it's almost like having home-field advantage. This Eastvale team is the first to make it this far in all of Riverside County.

"When you're playing in the game and you see all the people that come to your game just to watch you play, it's really fun," said Grady Gentner.

No matter the outcome, the young players expect a lot of people cheering them on this Friday.

"As long as you guys are having fun, there's no stopping us. There's no stopping us," said Tatum.

Southern California teams have a history of success in the Little League World Series. Last year, El Segundo won the championship. The Granada Hills team won in 1963 and Long Beach won in 1992 and 1993. Huntington Beach won in 2011. Teams from the San Diego area won in 2009 and 1961,

You can watch the Eastvale Little Leaguers play this Friday at 6 p.m. on ESPN.