SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — No matter the situation, players from West O'ahu of 'Ewa Beach, hardly uttered any words while talking about their Little League World Series experiences the past 10 days.

They let their play do the talking.

And baseball fans across the world can now hear them loud and clear.

West O'ahu is Little League Baseball's world champion.

Michael Memea hit a walk-off, seventh-inning home run yesterday afternoon at Lamade Stadium as West O'ahu capped a dramatic comeback, defeating defending world champion Curacao, 7-6, and captured the state's first Little League world championship for 11- and 12-year-olds.

"It's a dream come true," West O'ahu manager Layton Aliviado said as he held the world championship plaque in his hands. "In the middle of the game we weren't hitting their pitcher too well and I told the boys if you want it, go get it. I guess it lit the fire up again."

West O'ahu staged a dramatic rally, scoring three times in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie the game at 6 and force extra innings. The comeback forced only the second extra-inning title game in 59 years and the first since 1971 when Chinese Taipei defeated Gary, Ind., 12-3, in nine innings.

Memea capped one of the most exciting Little League World Series games in history by lining Christopher Garia's 3-2 offering over the center-field fence while leading off the seventh inning.

It was a fitting end for a powerful team that hit 13 home runs at the World Series.

It also was a fitting end for a player who had ignited West O'ahu's offense throughout the tournament but struggled in his first three at-bats.

Memea, 0 for 3 before his final at-bat, raised his right arm in triumph as he rounded first base and many of the 25,506 in attendance offered a standing ovation. Memea was then swarmed by teammates who were eager to congratulate the first player in title game history to hit a walk-off home run.

"I felt excited to hit the home run," Memea said. "I knew it was gone when I hit it."

West O'ahu players were low key after the victory, but there was nothing low key about the comeback.

The Northwest regional champions entered the bottom of the sixth inning having recorded just one hit off Garia since he entered in the third inning. But when winning pitcher Vonn Fe'ao drew a lead-off walk, West O'ahu came alive.

"They were pumped up," Aliviado said. "They said we're not giving it away and they came back."

Quentin Guevara followed with a single and moved to third when Curacao tried to throw Fe'ao out at third. Fe'ao then scored on Ty Tirpak's bunt down the third-base line and suddenly West O'ahu had the tying runs on base.

"I didn't expect it (the comeback)," Curacao manager Vernon Isabella said. "But as long as you don't get 18 outs you don't win the game."

Zachary Rosete made it a one-run game when he ripped an RBI single into left field and Layson Aliviado's walk loaded the bases with no outs. West O'ahu had squandered a bases-loaded, no-out rally in the first inning and it appeared that may happen again when Garia coaxed Kini Enos into hitting a fielder's choice that allowed shortstop Jurickson Profar to throw out pinch-runner Harrison Kam at home.

Alaka'i Aglipay beat out a potential game-ending double play when he grounded to second base. Aglipay just beat the throw to first base and Rosete scored to tie the game at 6.

"I was just hoping to hit the ball and get the run in," Aglipay said. "It was close (at first base)."

Garia ended the rally and forced extra innings when he forced Sheyne Baniaga to fly out to center field.

Fe'ao made sure West O'ahu kept its momentum in the seventh inning. He appeared to throw harder and harder with every pitch in the seventh. He retired Profar on one pitch before striking out the next two hitters on just seven pitches.

Fe'ao, who had allowed a two-out home run to Darren Seferina that made it 6-3 in the fifth, struck out four batters in 2 2/3 innings, recording all four after surrendering the home run.

"I was angry the whole time," Fe'ao said. "I was on fire."

So was West O'ahu in the postseason. The champions finished the year 18-0. They also outscored six World Series opponents, 39-11, an impressive achievement for a state that had produced just one national champion, Pearl City in 1988.

"We're the first. We made history," said Layton Aliviado, who was unaware that his team was the first from Hawai'i to win a Little League (11-12) world title until the post-game press conference. "I knew when we won in (regionals) in San Bernadino that we had a chance. The way the boys played I knew we could win."

West O'ahu had not trailed in a World Series game until Curacao scored three third-inning runs and built a 3-1 advantage. West O'ahu hurt itself with two errors in the inning and fell behind 2-1 when Guevara, the starting pitcher, tagged Rudmichaell Brandao after he had been caught in a rundown between third and home plate, but the umpire ruled the Curacao runner safe.

In a precursor of things to come, West O'ahu came right back in the bottom of the inning and tied the game 3-3 when Enos and Aglipay hit consecutive home runs. That forced Isabella to remove reliever Naeem Lourens, who worked out of the bases-loaded jam in the first inning, and replace him with Garia who struck out five batters in the next three innings.

Having already used two pitchers, Isabella was hoping Garia could extend the game another inning entering the seventh.

"I knew he was tired but I asked him to go the extra mile," Isabella said.

Curacao finished the tournament with a 4-2 record. It captured its second straight International title, avenging its lone pool play loss with a 2-0 win over Japan on Saturday. Curacao was trying to become the first repeat world champion since Long Beach, Calif., won two straight in 1992 and 1993, with the '93 title coming after the Phillipines was forced to forfeit after using overage and ineligible players.

Guevara and Rosete each had two hits for West O'ahu, whose players head back to school upon their arrival home.

Yesterday's win capped a successful summer for Hawai'i's youth baseball teams. Five teams played in World Series across the Mainland in the past two weeks.

The O'ahu All-Stars won the Cal Ripken World Series in Aberdeen, Md., last weekend.