Canadian makes amazing catch in LLWS game (VIDEO)

Nothing says sunshine quite like the ping of an aluminum bat. The Little League World Series is one of the true highlights of the summer months and this year's edition has already produced a few memorable moments.

On Friday afternoon, Thomas Neal may have made the catch of the summer. The 13-year-old outfielder for Canada's Little League representatives, the Hastings Community All-Stars, completely laid out to make an unbelievable grab on a sharp two-out liner off the bat of Mexico's Eduardo Abrego.

[Related: Canada outlasts Mexico]

Neal was obviously pumped to have made the grab. So much so that when he was mobbed by his teammates on his way back to the dugout he actually gave the umpire a high-five. The ump, of course, was just asking for the ball.

Check out the video (courtesy of SportsGrid):

Following the game, Atura Yamaguchi, the pitcher on the mound at the time, was obviously very appreciative of the effort made by his centre fielder. "I told him he was my best friend now," he said to the Associated Press. "He wasn't before. He was my fourth (best friend), just to clarify."

The catch proved to be a key defensive play in a high-scoring affair. Canada jumped ahead to an early 7-1 lead after the first inning, but Mexico battled back to tie the score before the second was over. Canada eventually pulled out the 13-9 win.

[Photos: Canada at the LLWS]

Not only have we now seen a catch to rival the one made by Rajai Davis (heralded as the catch of the year), we've also had quite a display of sportsmanship and toughness after a very scary moment.

On top of that, Africa has its first ever LLWS representative ever in Uganda. As you'll remember from the Sportsnet documentary "Fair Ball," Uganda had qualified for the LLWS in 2011 but its players were unable to attend due to visa issues. This prompted last year's Canadian reps from Langley to hop on a plane to Africa and join their Ugandan counter-parts in an exhibition game. It's a very well-done piece and I urge you to give it a watch if you haven't seen it (and a second watch if you have).

[Prep Rally: Curacao batter walks away from scary beaning]

So if you find yourself suffering from the post-Olympics doldrums, give the LLWS a chance. It's great for all the same reasons as the Olympics — nations coming together, sportsmanship, inclusion and amazing feats of athleticism.

I'll high-five to that, and you can even keep the ball.

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