SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- A jubilant heap players formed a recklessly joyful pile along the third-base line. Their fans just feet away rowdily hugged. The chorus of "Celebrate Good Times" blared from the Lamade Stadium speakers.

These were good times, indeed. Catcher Cody Walker's diving snare in foul territory had just clinched Georgia's seat atop the nation's Little League throne.

And Columbus' 7-3 win over Beaverton, Oregon, on Saturday afternoon before 25,055 in the U.S. Championship game of the Little League World Series gave this most incredible and enduring of summer rides another day of life.

"I'm happy, I'm excited," Columbus right-fielder Ryan Lang said. "It's a dream come true."

"We're the United States champions. Whatever happens tomorrow happens," Columbus coach Randy Morris said.

What happens on Sunday is the World Championship game that will see Columbus facing Japan.

They find themselves there because of another terrific start by J.T. Phillips -- he allowed just three runs over six innings -- and his bold base-running move that sparked the game-winning rally.

With the game tied at 3 and momentum favoring Oregon in the top of the fifth, Phillips walked with one out. Admittedly on his own, Phillips then jolted Morris by taking off on a straight steal of second.

"That's one of them [plays] where you're like, 'get back, back, back. Wait, good job,'" Morris said.

Phillips safely slid just under the tag and with two outs, he was able to come around from second with the winning run on a Brady Hamilton single.

"That was big. That was huge," Morris said of the steal. "You can't coach that. That's just instinct."

2006 Little League WORLD SERIES AUG. 18-27 | WILLIAMSPORT, PA. Schedule Wednesday - Aug. 23, 2006 International Semifinal • Mexico 11, Venezuela 0 (4 inn.) United States Semifinal • Beaverton (Ore.) 4, Lemont (Ill.) 3 Thursday – Aug. 24, 2006 International Semifinal • Kawaguchi City, Japan 4, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia 1 United States Semifinal • Columbus (Ga.) 8, Portsmouth (N.H.) 0 Saturday – Aug. 26, 2006 • Columbus (Ga.) 7, Beaverton (Ore.) 3 • Kawaguchi City, Japan 3, Matamoros, Mexico 0 Monday – Aug. 28, 2006 • Columbus (Ga.) 2, Kawaguchi City, Japan 1

Huge because it came just moments after the game had palpably shifted in Beaverton's direction.

Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, pinch-hitter Austin Perry's run-scoring single finally gave life to Oregon's offense. And Trevor Nix drove a two-run homer over the left-field wall to even the game.

"I know I got emotional when I looked up at the fans," Oregon coach Jeff Keller said. "The crowd was just going crazy. It was pretty neat."

The expected shift in the game's balance never came though. After Hamilton's hit put Columbus ahead in the fifth, they tacked on three more in the sixth.

Beaverton ace Jace Fry, less than a week removed from his brilliant start on Monday in which he allowed just one run in a complete-game win, endured his most disappointing start.

"Guarantee you Jace hasn't been hit like that before," Keller said, adding that the wear of Monday's 116-pitch effort was not a factor.

"The thing was that he had his velocity tonight...They just did a great job of hitting the ball. You got to say congratulations to those guys."

And to his guys, too, for delivering Oregon the greatest Little League season the Beaver State has ever seen.

"For them to deliver for as long as they have and to make it this far, they're all winners in my mind," Keller said. "They're all heroes. They're great kids and I'm really, really proud of them.

Columbus will play the loser of tonight's International Championship in a consolation game on Sunday at noon.