Instant Classic: Connecticut Erupts Against Eastlake, Washington

Photo Courtesy of Patrick Tewey Photography

I'm not writing this one like an article. I'm not writing this one like a recap. I don't know what to do. We've seen wild games like this before at the Little League World Series, but this one just feels different.

Westport, Connecticut trailed Eastlake, Washington 13-6 in the bottom of the fifth inning with one out. I almost gave up on the game in the top of the fifth inning. In fact, I had to run out and didn't start watching the game on my phone until I heard that Alex Reiner hit a three-run homer to make it 13-9.

Now, I had the game on while I'm driving and hear the Max Popken home run that made it 13-12. At least point, I pulled over to watch on the WatchESPN app. Then, Chad Knight blasted a no-doubt home run to tie it up.

It was incredible.

Then, Knight makes the double play in the top of the seventh, and of course, he comes through in the bottom of the seventh with the walk-off single to give Westport a 14-13 victory. Most of those plays from Chad Knight are expected. He's the face of this team during the World Series.

What made this game special was that everyone else came through for Westport as well. Ricky Offenberg was moved to the top of the order after having a big week in Bristol and Williamsport. It paid off with a homer, triple, and double (which set up Knight's game winner).

Max Popken, one of the best players on the team, was somewhere around 2-for-20 since the beginning of the regional and also had a rough outing on the mound against California. He hit the home run to make it 13-12 and also threw huge innings on the mound in relief. He allowed one run in 2 2/3 innings of relief.

Alex Reiner who should get the "Where Did He Come From?!" Award has been a battler at the plate and on the mound all week at the LLWS. He closed it out and got the win by inducing a double play and also hit a surprise home run in the big comeback.

Drew Rogers had two hits and Tatin Llamas homered. Ten players had hits in the game. It was a complete team effort.

Eastlake, Washington had a similar team performance. Jack Carper and Dalton Chandler continued to power the offense at the top with three hits each. Zach Olson had a double and a triple all within one inning off the bench. Eastlake not only hit the cover off the ball top to bottom in the fourth inning, they did it against Harry Azadian, who hadn't been hit like that ever before.

This was one of the best Northwest teams I've seen in a while.

Westport, Connecticut now gets its rematch with Eastlake, California. Chad Knight will take the hill and try and shut down the big bats of Chula Vista once again. Eastlake will have Nick Mora on the mound. It should be a pitcher's duel. This SHOULD NOT look like today's game or last year's U.S. championship game (a 24-18 victory by Goodlettsville, Tennessee).


Prediction Record: 21-7 Overall

Predictions: Mexico over Japan 4-3, California over Connecticut 3-2.

Facts & Figures

3- Times a team from New England has advanced to the U.S. championship game since 2001 (all by walk-off hit/home run)

0- Times a team from the East Region has won a U.S. title since Toms River won in 1998.

6- Straight times a team from the West has played for the U.S. title



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LLWS: Eastlake (Chula Vista), CA Takes Step Towards U.S. Title

Grant Holman isn't lighting up the hits column this week in South Williamsport. He only has two of them. They happen to be responsible for two big home runs including the game-winner in the ninth inning sending Eastlake LL from Chula Vista, California to the United States championship game with a 6-3 victory over Westport, Connecticut.

"It felt really good because I've had slow starts at the plate for two games in a row," Holman said. "I came through in the clutch though."

Connecticut led 3-1 heading into the sixth inning, but Nick Mora blasted his second home run of the game with one out against Harry Azadian to cut the lead to 3-2. Connecticut elected to keep Azadian eligible for the losers bracket game and relieved him.

A few walks and a passed ball later and California tied the game 3-3.

Alex Reiner came on for Connecticut to throw an incredible 3 2/3 innings off the bench, but the second time through California's heart of the order spelled trouble. Micah Pietila-Wiggs (3-for-4) singled and Jake Espinoza doubled to set up Holman's blast.

Mora gave California a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning with a solo home run after Chad Knight and Holman dueled on the mound to start the game.

In the bottom of the fourth, Azadian ripped a single for the first hit off of Holman in the entire World Series. Matt Brown came on to pinch hit and blasted a three-run homer off Holman to five Connecticut a 3-1 lead and chase Holman from the game. He is eligible to pitch in the world championship on Sunday.

"My teammates have been doing this for three years," Holman said. "If I throw a bad pitch, I know my team will come back and do their jobs. With our team it's never over."

Giancarlo Cortez, Ricky Tibbett, and Rennard Williams threw 5 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to keep California in the game. Holman finished with 10 strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.

Thoughts: Connecticut has lived dangerously the entire summer by playing with its pitching rotation. It's ALMOST burned them at least three times, but they're always the most talented team. Tonight, they were facing a team as talented or better and they had a chance to put them away with Azadian on the mound. I think they should've went for the jugular. Connecticut can win the United States tournament still. They have two games and two phenomenal pitchers. The third game is going to be impossible to win unless they can somehow get Azadian out at 50 again tomorrow. Washington almost made them pay for that move once before.


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Little League World Series: And Then There Were Six

On Tuesday, a pair of very strong teams were eliminated in one-run games. Panama came from behind to knock off Chinese Taipei and Eastlake, Washington exploded for six runs in one inning and held off a very tough South Nashville, Tennessee team.

That sets up a doubleheader on Wednesday night to lock up the first berths in the U.S. Championship game and the International Championship game.

Musashi Fuchu, Japan takes on Tijuana, Mexico at 4 p.m. EST in a great game. Japan doesn't seem dominant in any one part of the game but they do a little bit of everything. They play nice defense, have timely hitting, and solid pitching. Mexico, on the other hand, has outscored its two opponents 25-0 and has mashed a ton of home runs already. If their bats don't go cold, and history tells us that Japan finds ways to do that to you, then I think Mexico is the favorite.

On the U.S. side, it's really interesting. California is the favorite. I think Holman and Knight are probably comparable on the mound, but California definitely has more experience hitting A+ pitching. But, none of that may matter. Washington is a very good team. They're not an easy out. I still think that the California-Connecticut game doesn't mean that much because of the tournament format.

Right now, two wins gets you the U.S. championship banner. It doesn't matter if you win or lose tomorrow, you only need two total wins. Even Washington is just two total wins away. This game isn't important except that you have to play Washington again.

Another factor is the world title. Is that important to you or is the U.S. championship victory enough? If the world title matters to you, then 65 is your pitch limit on Wednesday. The strategy for both teams is going to be interesting.

I'm guessing California will go Holman for 65 since Mora is ineligible. That means a victory puts Mora as the U.S. championship game pitcher, and Holman is the world title game pitcher.

Connecticut has both their aces available tomorrow. My guess is they start Knight and go 50, then go to Azadian for 20 and evaluate... If they're winning the game? Azadian goes 50 or 65. If they're losing, then he comes out at 20 for Washington.

As for Washington? They don't have Dohlstrom or Matheson for Thursday, but they have multiple solid arms and scrappy bats. I'm sure they're hoping that Connecticut blows two pitchers tomorrow and then loses. A California loss means Mora on the mound against Washington.

Prediction Record: 1-2 (Overall 18-6)

Wednesday's Predictions: Mexico over Japan 6-3, California over Connecticut 5-1.

Note: Connecticut is unbeaten for the summer and I've predicted them to win every game until now.

What do you think the pitching strategy should be on Wednesday? Would you play to win on Saturday or is it world championship or bust? What do you think should be important for the American teams? Sound off in our discussion group on Facebook.

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Little League World Series: Day 4 Recap/Predictions

Game 13: Mexico 13, Panama 0 (4 innings)

Soooo, Mexico is good, huh? Tijuana blasted five home runs including two off the bat of Ramon Mendoza to whip the Panamanians in a mercy-rule victory. Luis Manzo quietly allowed just one hit in four innings and struck out four. It was the Mexican bats that really opened eyes though.

Brandon Montes led the game off with a home run and TJ never looked back. Martin Gonzalez was 3-for-3 with four runs scored, a home run, and a double. Mendoza added seven RBI, and Saul Favela also homered. This team is legit.

Game 14: Connecticut 9, Washington 7

What a game. Westport, Connecticut's bats woke up in this one and the game changed in the second inning. Westport hit the ball hard for an inning and a half and then Tatin Llamas blasted a line drive off Eastlake pitcher Jake Dahlstrom's knee. Dahlstrom had to leave the game and the floodgates opened. Max Popken had an RBI single, Chad Knight (2-for-3) walked to bring in a run, Azadian (3-for-3, HR, 2B, 4 RBI) brought two in with a single, and Roof had two hits in the inning including an RBI.

In the fourth inning, Azadian ripped a two-run home run to give Connecticut a 9-1 lead and Westport decided to pull Azadian from the game to keep him eligible for the winners bracket final game. That's when the wheels nearly fell off. Azadian allowed four hits in 3 1/3 innings, but was in complete control. Washington feasted on CT's relief pitching though Jack Titus had an RBI single, Jack Matheson and Austin Oh added RBIs and Bryce Delay had a double. A pair of unusual errors and three walks aided the rally. In the sixth, with a two-run lead Alex Reiner continued to show his guts on the mound and got a huge strikeout with the tying run at the plate to end the game.

This was the second or third time that Connecticut survived some gutsy pitching moves. Credit to Tim Rogers and company for making the moves (They are the only unbeaten team in the country), but wow its crazy. If they only had one ace, I'd agree with the moves wholeheartedly. With two aces and one of them already available and a huge dropoff to your number four pitcher... I would've kept Azadian out there. At least until 65. It worked though and that's why they're going to be one of the last three teams left in the United States.

Game 15: California 15, Delaware 3 (4 innings)

Talk about a statement. Eastlake LL from Chula Vista CA brought its bats on Sunday and hit around one of the best pitchers at the Little League World Series. It started right from the get-go. Micah Pietila-Wiggs ripped a HARD line drive single to open it up and then Jake Espinoza took a curve ball the other way for a home run to tie the game 2-2 after one. In the second inning, Patrick Archer had his second big hit in as many games with a double. After a walk, Pietila-Wiggs hit a 73 MPH fastball more than 300 feet to left field for the longest home run I've ever seen at Volunteer Stadium. The ball was absolutely crushed.

Delaware went to its bullpen and Michael Gaines added a home run off the bench. Finally in the fourth inning, California added eight runs including two more RBIs from Gaines, an RBI single from Archer, and a grand slam from previously hitless Grant Holman to walk off with the mercy-rule victory.

Delaware had issues from the start with mound problems and a team that hits like they've never seen before. Nick Mora pitched well for California and Delaware did a nice job against him as well. Nate Hardcastle had a single, 11-year old Jack Hardcastle had a two-run double, and 11-year old Brandon Sengphachanh blasted a home run.

Game 16: Japan 3, Chinese Taipei 2

Japan and Chinese Taipei played a classic and typical game from two of the strongest countries in Little League Baseball. Japan took a 1-0 lead in the second with an RBI double from Dai Okada, the nine hitter. Japan's pitching held that lead until the sixth inning when Takuma Gomi ripped a two-run home run to increase the lead to 3-0. Chinese Taipei scored two runs in the sixth and had the tying run on base, but a fly out to end the game put Japan in the winners bracket final against Mexico.

LLWS Rankings After Day 4

1. Mexico

2. California

3. Japan

4. Chinese Taipei

5. Connecticut

6. Tennessee

7. Washington

8. Panama

9. Delaware

10. Puerto Rico

11. Texas

12. Canada

13. Iowa

14. Czech Republic

15. Michigan

16. Australia

Random Thoughts: The cream really started to rise to the top after the winner bracket day and we have four teams which are 4-0. They're very possibly the four best teams left in the world. I said it on Twitter and Facebook. I think Pietila-Wiggs from California might end up being the best player from this LLWS.

Home Run Meter: 29

Prediction Record: 2-2 (12-4 Overall)

Monday's Predictions: Texas over Australia 5-0, Chinese Taipei over Puerto Rico 6-2, Tennessee over Delaware 8-2, Latin America over Canada 5-4, and Washington over Iowa 10-4.

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Little League World Series: Day 3 Recap/Predictions

Game 9: Puerto Rico 4, Australia 0

Talk about being impressed once again. Australia battled and competed the entire way, but three consecutive hits and a pair of errors gave Puerto Rico a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning. Robert Addarich and Jan Osorio singled, and Yamil Velasquez hit an RBI double. The Aussies were well-coached, fun to watch, and will be solid as a LLWS participant for years to come.

Game 10: Tennessee 10, Texas 2

For three innings, this one was a pitchers duel between the future superstar Ben Pickman and Jesus Ortiz. In fact, it was dueling no-hitters... then Pickman got a hold of one to start a rally. Trae McLemore ripped a two-run single, and 11-year old Robert Hassel hit a run-scoring single to give South Nashville a 3-0 lead. Tennessee continued to pile it on in the fifth inning, and then McLemore, who was intentionally walked in his previous at-bat, came up with bases loaded. He promptly deposited one way into left centerfield for a grand slam. That was all she wrote.

Game 11: Canada 4, Czech Republic 3

What?! This was an awesome game. Czech Republic is really good. Best European team in a long time and definitely the best defensively. Canada was really gutsy in hanging on late. Ken Nguyen pitched a great game and Angus Adams might be the scariest Canadian hitter I've ever seen. He's a player. The Czechs actually outhit Canada in this game, but the first waffle came in the third with the game's first error with bases loaded. That along with a wild pitch and a steal of home broke it open. The story of the game was absolutely the horrible umpiring. I feel bad for the guy behind the plate who had two calls overturned and missed countless others. It was a tough day for him.

Game 12: Iowa 6, Michigan 5

This was a very blah game and then became an incredible game. Iowa took a 1-0 lead in the third inning with an RBI single from Brady Roberts, and then the game blew up. Michigan, which was no-hit through seven innings the other day, was still hitless in the third when Brook Heinen made one of the best diving catches you will see in left field to steal a hit from Tyler Hill. It was the second hit taken away from Hill this week. California's Micah Pietila-Wiggs made a phenomenal play the other day too.

As usual, when you make a great defensive play, you tend to have a big hit. Well Heinen blasted a three-run home run in the ensuing inning to give Iowa a commanding 4-0 lead. Grant Garwood was continuing to fire away with his no-hitter.

Carter Troncin added a home run of his own in the fifth and the rout was on. But finally, in the fifth inning, Tommy Maxey hit a high fly ball that was misjudged in right field and dropped in for a double. The first Michigan hit of the LLWS. He was stranded, but the monkey was off The Mitten's back. Garwood reached his pitch limit with one out in the sixth and allowed just the misjudged double. Three walks later though, and Michigan was in business. Alex Augustine came in the game to try and get out of it, but a legit two-run single from Maxey followed by a three-run home run from Jack Vyletel cut the lead to just 6-5. Augustine picked up a strikeout to end the rally and the game.

LLWS Rankings After Day 3

1. Panama

2. Chinese Taipei

3. California

4. Japan

5. Connecticut

6. Mexico

7. Tennessee

8. Delaware

9. Washington

10. Puerto Rico

11. Texas

12. Canada

13. Iowa

14. Czech Republic

15. Michigan

16. Australia

Note: Rankings obviously hinge on pitching matchups... it is Little League, after all.

Random Thoughts: Elimination Day was way better than expected. Everyone played well once again. There just isn't a bad team in Williamsport this year. I was a little thrown off by Michigan's decision to pull Antonio Moceri from the game at 35 pitches. I thought that changed the game. The people on twitter that keep bringing up curveballs are driving me insane. You can't just go on what you think you know or conventional wisdom from 20 years ago. There's studies now that prove that curveballs aren't the problem. Overuse is. I'll provide links if you want them.

Home Run Meter: 18

Prediction Record: 3-1 (Overall 10-2) Note: Michigan's pitching changes blew my streak

Sunday's Predictions: Mexico over Panama 5-3, Connecticut over Washington 4-2, California over Delaware 4-1, and Chinese Taipei over Japan 6-4.

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Little League World Series: Day 2 Recap (2013)

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Game 5: Chinese Taipei (Taoyuan Chung-Ping) 10, Canada (Ottawa East Nepean) 2

The teams that aren't typically strong in the international side have really stepped up this year. I was expecting a great LLWS this year, but the talent is even better than expected. East Nepean was not the best team in Canada this year, but they represented very well.

Chinese Taipei was relentless. They play great defense, had good pitching, and two big bats in the middle of the lineup. Huai-Chien Lan and Shih-Che Chou each hit a blast, a double, and walked. Chou's was of the intentional variety.

Canada's Angus Adams (great name!) hit one of the longer home runs in Volunteer Stadium with a towering shot to dead center field right at the oversized flag pole. It cut the Chinese Taipei lead to just 5-2 at the time in the fourth inning. Canada's pitching just couldn't hold up after going deep into its rotation to save guys for the losers bracket.

Chinese Taipei vs. Japan will be awesome on Sunday night.

Game 6: California (Chula Vista Eastlake) 3, Michigan (Grosse Pointe Woods-Shores) 0, 7 innings

Well this game certainly lived up to the billing with the pitching matchup. A one-hitter through six innings for Michigan's Chad Lorkowski and an amazing extra-inning complete game no-hitter from Grant Holman of California. He was a lone walk away from a perfect game. The game was trending nationally because of its super-sized duel on the mound between 6-foot-4 Holman and 6-foot-3 Lorkowski. Are those their true heights? I don't know. They were both listed at 6-foot-2 in the regionals.

Lorkowski gave up a leadoff hit to the very awesome Micah Pietila-Wiggs and then retired 18 in a row (minus the two walks and hit batter). Lorkowski barely used a breaking ball, but different arm angles, slots, and release points coupled with his size and 71-mph fastball made him tough to hit. Holman with his flawless mechanics dominated with his downhill fastball and nice breaking ball. It was a really fun game to watch. Pietila-Wiggs had a web gem at second base.

Lorkowski finished with 12 strikeouts in six innings. Holman had 13 strikeouts in seven innings.

Once Lorkowski left the game, the highly-touted bats of California woke up. Giancarlo Cortez started it with a single, Rennard Williams added another hit, and then Patrick Archer came through with a big hit back up the middle to score two runs. Pietila-Wiggs added an RBI single for an extra run.

Michigan is going to have a hard time battling back, but should be able to handle Iowa to start.

Game 7: Japan (Musashi Fuchu) 7, Czech Republic (Brno) 3

What a great performance from Czech Republic! Europe always struggles at the World Series, especially when its a new native country. They didn't back down from the always favored Japanese champions. Fuchu used six different pitchers, but the Czechs weren't embarrassed at the plate by any means. They only had two hits, but one of them was a two-run blast to left field. Eliska Stejskalova, the only female player at this year's LLWS, had an RBI on a bunt (and I thought was good enough for a single, but official scorers only gave her a sacrifice. The bunt also caused Japan to throw the ball around (when do you hear that?!).

My favorite player in the tournament, Sho Miyao, brought his bat with him and had three hits. He only had one chance in the field defensively and fielded it flawlessly. I'm telling you he's the best SS there is. Japan had eight extra-base hits overall and really smacked the ball around. Because the international side can be so up-and-down, it's tough to tell who the favorite currently is. Sunday is going to be a great day.

Game 8: Delaware (Newark National) 6, Iowa (Urbandale) 3

Talk about starting with a bang. Delaware scored five runs in the first inning on six hard hit balls. Eric Ludman had an RBI double, Jack Hardcastle had a run-scoring single, Jared Owens hit a two-run single, and Ryan Miller ripped an RBI triple in the decisive inning.

Delaware started Joe Davis instead of Nate Hardcastle and the move paid off. Davis struggled in the first inning with his control, but settled down and made it through 4 2/3 innings allowing just two runs on one hit. He struck out seven. Hardcastle got the four-out save with four strikeouts, but it didn't come easy. Two walks and a single allowed a run to score in the sixth and Delaware was visibly frustrated, but came through.

Iowa's Brady Roberts did a great job in relief and stopped the bleeding big time. He didn't allow a hit in two innings of work.

Hardcastle made one of the best plays of the week with a stop in the hole on his knees and threw a seed across the diamond. It short-hopped Ludman at first, but a long stretch and a scoop finished the play.

The U.S. has four teams left in the winners bracket now with four aces on the mound. California and Connecticut may be twos on their teams or 1Bs, but they're aces for anyone else. It's going to be a pair of great matchups.

World Series Rankings After Day 2

1. Panama

2. Chinese Taipei

3. California

4. Japan

5. Connecticut

6. Mexico

7. Delaware

8. Tennessee

9. Washington

10. Puerto Rico

11. Texas

12. Michigan

13. Canada

14. Czech Republic

15. Australia

16. Iowa

Random Thoughts: Crispness is still the story to me. The defense has been awesome. Nine of the last 10 teams to take the field haven't had an error. The one team in the last five games to commit an error? Japan of all teams! The extraordinary plays seem to be up as well. Very impressive. I think the heights and weights are a little inflated on ESPN and it's taking away from the game. Social media is buzzing about the size of the players instead of the talent as if that's the lone reason they're here. If a kid is 6-foot-4, then fine he's that tall, but I don't think Holman is 6-foot-4, is he?

Home Run Meter: 11

Prediction Record: 4-0 (7-1 Overall)

Saturday's Predictions: Puerto Rico over Australia 6-0, Tennessee over Texas 5-3, Canada over Czech Republic 7-2, Michigan over Iowa 4-1.

You can listen to Little League Insider Radio from Sunday for a bit of an initial LLWS preview. I also did an interview on WRAK radio in Williamsport and discussed all the teams and their chances at winning some first round games. That interview isn't available for replay, but will be on WRAK a few times during the week. I'm hoping to get a schedule.

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Episode 1
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Little League World Series: Day 1 Recap (2013)

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Game 1: Panama (Aguadulce Cabezera) 9, Puerto Rico (San Lorenzo Samaritana) 4

We learned a few things in this game. For starters, Puerto Rico is nowhere near as good as they were when Manati was here a couple years ago. Secondly, the idea that they were the third best team in the region is probably true. Panama does NOT like the curveball. Despite dominating five of the six innings in the game, Panama struck out a ridiculous 15 times. They reached base on passed balls or wild pitches though five times.

I really liked the stuff of Jean Mar Sanchez on the mound for Panama. He struck out eight in four innings and gave up zero earned runs. He had a really rough fourth inning though. Daniel Fernandez and Juan Crisp each hit a long home run, but Puerto Rico's pitchers did a good job overall. The jury is out on both teams in my opinion.

Game 2: Washington (Sammamish Eastlake) 8, Texas (Corpus Christi Universal) 4

Talk about a surprise. Washington came in with a ton of praise for its bats and they delivered especially at the very top of the order. Jack Carper and Dalton Chandler were a combined 6-for-8 with a home run, triple, double, and three singles. They scored six of the eight runs. Nathan Fitzgibbons drove in the other two runs with a big two-out single in the first inning.

Washington jumped out 4-0 quickly and I think Texas was shell-shocked. Corpus Christi didn't use Jacob Garza to start, but Juan Sosa is no slouch and Washington still knocked him around. With Texas' pitching not dominating as much, the defense was exposed a little bit. They were sloppy and they'll admit it themselves.

Now onto the second guessing. Texas didn't start Jacob Garza. That was possibly the right move when the second game looked tougher on paper, but they still let Sosa go over 35 even with a 4-1 deficit, and then brought Garza in. When it was 5-4, it looked like they'd pull it out, but Washington continued to hit. On the other hand, Washington almost completely gave it away when it made its first pitching change. It's double elimination. Play to win today. Winners bracket is way more forgiving then the play everyday bracket.

Washington was definitely better than expected, but I think Texas' expectations were too high. The worst of it all? Texas spent Sosa and Garza for the losers bracket game on Saturday. Ouch.

Game 3: Mexico (Tijuana) 12, Australia (Perth Metro Central) 0,  3 1/2 innings

Well, Australia played its first game of the Little League World Series and they weren't bad. Okay, so they're not the deepest team in the world, but they know how to play and they don't make mistakes. They're just not on the same level as everyone else yet. I thought they were the most well-coached team of the day though. Oh yea, their star Chase Diggins is awesome. Mexico's Brandon Meza threw a 2-hitter. Diggins had both hits including a long double.

Mexico really picked it up though in the second inning. Alexander Artalejo doubled, Axcel Mandujano singled, and Meza ripped a two-run double. Australia smartly pulled Diggins from the game. That's when the wheels came off a bit. In the third inning, Miguel Artalejo hit a two-run triple, Meza hit a run-scoring single, and Brandon Monte came off the bench to crush a massive home run. That was all she wrote.

Mexico will play Panama in the winners bracket. Australia will have a tough game with Puerto Rico.

Game 4: Connecticut (Westport) 3, Tennessee (South Nashville) 2

Well the main event lived up to the billing. The lead changed three times throughout. Both teams pitched lights out, and the stars came to play.

Chad Knight struck out eight batters in 4 1/3 innings allowing one run on five hits. He scored the game's first run, and drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Tennessee's Ben Pickman entered the LLWS with a ridiculous .667 batting average. He maintained that with a double and solo home run and both runs scored. His first at-bat was a laced line drive right at the center fielder. He's flat-out awesome. I can't wait to see him pitch.

Connecticut jumped out to a 1-0 in the first with a Knight single and a Matt Stone RBI single, but Harry Azadian was thrown out at the plate by a great throw from who else... Ben Pickman. In the third inning, Pickman hit a two-out double and Chris McElvain dinked an RBI single to tie the game. Zane Denton added a single and Trae McLemore hit the ball hard but right at Ricky Offenberg... more on him in a second.

Tanner Morgan settled down for Tennessee and threw lights out for the next three innings. Connecticut helped out with a lot of first-pitch swinging. That approach kept Morgan's pitch count down and also didn't give CT a chance to take advantage of a tight strike zone behind the plate. In the fourth inning, Charlie Roof hit one in the gap and CT tried scoring a run from first base, but more great relays from Nashville meant another run cut down at the plate on a bang-bang play.

Keeping Knight at 65 pitches, Connecticut went to its co-ace Azadian in the fifth. A first-pitch curveball was blasted to dead center by Pickman for a 2-1 lead. It was the third straight breaking ball that Pickman ripped (Scouting Report Alert). Azadian shrugged it off and easily got the next two outs including another smooth play at short by Offenberg.

Trailing 2-1, Offenberg took a Morgan offering out of the yard to lead off the bottom of the inning and it was knotted 2-2. Chris Drbal singled with one out and moved to second on a passed ball. Max Popken flew out for the second out, but Chad Knight came through with an RBI-double and a 3-2 lead. Azadian has a single 1-2-3 inning to pick up the victory.

Connecticut will face Washington on Sunday in the winners bracket with Azadian facing Dahlstrom most likely. Tennessee will have Pickman against Texas.

For the record, this is Tennesee's fourth loss of the summer, all in the first game of a tournament. Their 15-game winning streak in elimination games will be on the line on Saturday.

World Series Rankings After Day 1

1. Panama

2. Connecticut

3. Mexico

4. Tennessee

5. Washington

6. Puerto Rico

7. Texas

8. Australia

OFF: Japan, Taiwan, Czech Republic, Canada, California, Michigan, Iowa, Delaware

Random Thoughts: It was a really well-played day of games. I know it's the LLWS, but you can count on some sloppiness usually. Not today though. There was only one great game today, but the games were all fun. Washington was a big surprise, otherwise everything went pretty much as planned. Pitching was very good, no true dominance on the mound by anyone really, and a few balls left the yard. Solid start.

Home Run Meter: 5

Prediction Record: 3-1

Friday's Predictions: Taiwan over Canada 5-0, California over Michigan 8-1, Japan over Czech Republic 10-0, Delaware over Iowa 5-3.


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You can listen to Little League Insider Radio from Sunday for a bit of an initial LLWS preview. I also did an interview on WRAK radio in Williamsport and discussed all the teams and their chances at winning some first round games. That interview isn't available for replay, but will be on WRAK a few times during the week. I'm hoping to get a schedule.

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Little League World Series: Parade & Predictions

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I got a late jump on my road trip to Williamsport today, so I missed the barbecue at Penn College. I was really looking forward to seeing all 16 teams in a social setting, but apparently work CAN interrupt the fun of a Little League-filled summer.

Before I jump into things, I want to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone that helped me make this trip. It was truly touching to see strangers extend themselves like that. Thank you guys very much. I appreciate everyone that takes the time to read the blog. Whether its two people reading or two thousand, I'd still be writing, so I love the audience. Okay, enough of that mushy stuff...

I arrived in Williamsport right around 5:30 and had no idea where to park or what to do. For someone that is so Little League oriented, I don't know anything about the City of Williamsport. Heck, I've only been here three times before (compared to Bristol which I've been to 13 straight). So, I ended up parking in a lot at Penn College and realizing most of the action is over a mile a way. So I high-stepped it down fourth street through the crowds. I've been to a million parades before. From local volunteer fire department parades to St. Patrick's Day in New York City, but this was truly a world's parade. It's awesome seeing and meeting people from every single corner of the earth.

As I made my way downtown I spotted some Newark, Delaware parents and hung with them for a while. The parade finally reached us by 6:30 and WOW it was long. I had no idea. It was a good mix of everything including every area high school's band, different fire departments, local attractions, sponsors, and of course the teams. It's a great way to showcase some of the things to do in the area besides watching baseball. I was especially surprised by Reptiland. Who knew.


I happened to be in a section where the fans from Mid-Atlantic, New England, Great Lakes, Northwest, and Southeast were standing. It was awesome to see the reactions from the kids on the floats when they saw their parents. Some of them hadn't seen mom and dad for a few days. It was definitely cool to see.

The Southeast fans from South Nashville, Tennessee took the cake for most energetic. They went bonkers for everyone and were the stars of the show. The big heads of the players were a nice touch too.

We're 12 hours away from opening ceremonies now. I think it's going to be a really good series. All the U.S. teams have great pitching. On the international side, you have the usual suspects. We don't know what to expect from Australia or Czech Republic, but it's awesome to have them here as it is. I'm definitely grabbing an Australia shirt tomorrow! Yes, I love my shirts. I'm going to be in town through Sunday night, so if you're in South Williamsport, make sure you say hi. I'll always have a steno notepad with me. That's a dead giveaway.

On to the predictions for Day 1 (International predictions are a shot in the dark)

Game 1: Latin America 3, Carribbean 2.

        This league in Panama is back for a second straight year with at least three players returning. Meanwhile, Puerto Rico was the third best team in its region but backed its way in with a screwy system. Puerto Rico is typically strong, but that sounds like a Panama win to me.

Game 2: Southwest 7, Northwest 2

         Universal is going to be too tough no matter who they stick on the mound. Eastlake, Washington has potential to bring big bats with them, but I believe in the Texas pitching.

Game 3: Mexico 9, Australia 1

        Australia is a great story. It's nice to have them at the World Series. I'd rather have them then American kids from Saudi Arabia. It doesn't change the fact that they're never been close to making in to the LLWS through the Asia-Pacific region. They don't just lose to Taiwan. They lose to Thailand, Guam, etc. They're not going to be strong, but they're definitely going to be fun. I also love the unis! Mexico, on the other hand, is a great story too. Right on the border, they know have the players from Chula Vista and they fit right in culturally. We won't know much about them talent-wise until their second game most likely.


Game 4: New England 2, Southeast 1

       This feels like a homer pick, but the New England region is stronger than you think most years. South Nashville is far from dominant too. I think this is a year that Connecticut to do very well if it manages its two star pitchers, gets good innings from Max Popken and/or Charlie Roof and finds some consistent bats.

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You can listen to Little League Insider Radio from Sunday for a bit of an initial LLWS preview. I also did an interview on WRAK radio in Williamsport and discussed all the teams and their chances at winning some first round games. That interview isn't available for replay, but will be on WRAK a few times during the week. I'm hoping to get a schedule.

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Little League World Series Preview (2013)

SOUTHWEST

Universal (Corpus Christi), Texas West

Overall 2013 Record: 11-1
Southwest Pool Play/Dbl Elim Record: (Since 2002): 23-10

Regional Stats
Team ERA: 2.00
Team K/6: 9.8
Team Batting Avg: .344 (7 players over .300)
Team Errors Per Game: 1.4

Key Players: Jacob Garza (.538, 3 HR, 10.1 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs), Jesus Ortiz (.562, 5 HR)

Overview: Universal's first trip to the Little League World Series looks like it could be a successful one. Garza and Ortiz are dominant at the plate, and Garza is a great option on the mound.  Universal is in the tougher of the two US brackets, but has some options to play around with pitching-wise. I see them making a good run. Universal came out of one of the toughest pools in the country along with the other Texas champion and Louisiana. To do that in three days meant pitching depth. When you have someone of Juan Sosa's ability and yet he doesn't get a start in five games means Universal can certainly get it done with its pitching.

NORTHWEST

Eastlake (Sammamish), Washington

Overall 2013 Record: 19-1
Northwest Pool Play/D.E. Record (Since 2002): 17-16 (12-15 without Hawaii)

Regional Stats
Team ERA: 2.29
Team K/6: 9.4
Team Batting Avg: .414 (10 players over .300)
Team Errors Per Game: 1.16

Key Players: Jacob Dahlstrom (.294, 4 HR, 11 IP, 22 K)

Overview: For all the offense that Eastlake produced during the Northwest Regional, only three players left the yard. Dahlstrom took Northwest pitching deep four times over the six games. This team knows how to hit and get on base. 10 players batting over .300 is unheard of, especially when your best pitcher/power hitter, Dahlstrom, isn't one of them. Eastlake is from a strong district in Washington with teams that have advanced to the LLWS previously including Mercer Island, Redmond North, and of course Kirkland National. That district plus needing to win eight straight games in the losers bracket of the state tournament means Eastlake is battle-tested. I think they're easily the weakest of the four teams inside its mini-bracket, however.

SOUTHEAST

South Nashville, Tennessee

Overall 2013 Record: 15-3
Southeast Pool Play/D.E Record (Since 2002): 23-12

Regional Stats
Team ERA: 2.07
Team K/6: 11.2
Team Batting Avg: .361 (7 players over .300)
Team Errors Per Game: 1.6

Key Players: Ben Pickman (.667, 2 HR, 10.2 IP, 21 K)

Overview: The Southeast region is always tough, so looking into stats doesn't usually help, but South Nashville has two glaring issues. They give up a lot of Walks + Hits per Inning and they don't hit for extra bases. On the other hand, Every single win that South Nashville has, they were on the brink of elimination. This team knows how to win when necessary. Trae McLemore is a big presence on the mound and at the plate. Pickman might have the most hits in the entire country with 12 in the regionals. He's a pure baseball player. Chris McElvain is another big bat for South Nashville.

NEW ENGLAND

Westport, CT

Overall 2013 Record: 18-0
New England Pool Play/D.E. Record (Since 2002): 15-17

Regional Stats
Team ERA: 1.03
Team K/6: 12.0
Team Batting Avg: .311 (7 players over .300)
Team Errors Per Game: 0.83

Key Players: Chad Knight (0.92 ERA, 31 K in 13 IP, 4 H), Harry Azadian (11.2 IP, 22 K, 0.00 ERA)

Overview: Westport possibly has the best 1-2 punch on the mound in the Little League World Series. They play some of the best defense anywhere and they have power up and down the lineup. Connecticut's issue might be its offensive consistency. Five different players hit homers in the regional, but nobody more than one. Seven players are hitting above .300 but it never seems like everyone hits together. Westport has the ability to be the first New England team since 1996 to win the US title, but they need to get hot at the plate.

WEST

Eastlake (Chula Vista), California

Overall 2013 Record: 18-1
West Pool Play/D.E. Record (Since 2002): 28-9

Regional Stats
Team ERA: 1.41
Team K/6: 10.8
Team Batting Avg: .364 (7 players over .300, including 5 over .400)
Team Errors Per Game: 1.00

Key Players: Grant Holman (.524, 10 runs scored, 12.2 IP, 28 Ks, 0.00 ERA), Nick Mora (.562, HR, 10.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 15/1 K/BB ratio), Giancarlo Cortez (.368, 2 HR, 13 RBI)

Overview: This is the United States favorite by far. They have two dominant pitchers, they score runs like nobody else against other dominant pitching. They have a lineup that is excellent 1-5. Micah Pietila-Wiggs and Jake Espinoza are great table setters. Six different players have homered in the regional. This team isn't as homer happy as Park View LL from Chula Vista in 2009, but they were actually more dominant from district to section to state to region than that team was. They have a chance to be scary good.

GREAT LAKES

Grosse Pointe Woods-Shores, Michigan

Overall 2013 Record: 13-2
Great Lakes Pool Play/D.E. Record (Since 2002): 11-22

Regional Stats
Team ERA: 2.91
Team K/6: 9.4
Team Batting Avg: .257 (5 players over .300)
Team Errors Per Game: 0.83

Key Players: Chad Lorkowski (.471, 3 HR, 11.1 IP, 25 Ks), Antonio Moceri (.500, 2 HR)

Overview: Chad Lorkowski carried GPWS in the championship game of the Great Lakes regional, and he'll need to continue that type of performance if Michigan wants to have any success at the LLWS this year. Offensively, the team has struggled during states and regionals. More players were hitless than hit over .300 in Indianapolis. Defense and pitching need to lead the way.

MID-ATLANTIC

Newark National, Delaware

Overall 2013 Record: 11-1
Mid-Atlantic Pool Play/D.E. Record (Since 2002): 14-20

Regional Stats
Team ERA: 3.64
Team K/6: 8.4
Team Batting Avg: .346 (8 players over .300)
Team Errors Per Game: 0.83

Key Players: Nate Hardcastle (.556, 2 HR, 14 IP, 27 K, 0.43 ERA), Joe Davis (.389, 3 HR, 14 RBI)

Overview: Delaware's success hinges on Hardcastle and Davis in multiple ways. They're both phenomenal hitters, Hardcastle has a dominant fastball on the mound, and Davis needs to step up as the number two pitcher. Hardcastle is talented enough to beat anyone when he's pitching, but without him on the mound Delaware struggles. Newark's ERA without Hardcastle is 6.00 and its WHIP is 2.10. How Newark uses its pitching, or gets its overall command under control will determine Delaware's fate.

MIDWEST

Urbandale, Iowa

Overall 2013 Record: 19-4
Midwest Pool Play/D.E. Record (Since 2002): 3-28

Regional Stats
Team ERA: 1.80
Team K/6: 9.0
Team Batting Avg: .277 (7 players over .300)
Team Errors Per Game: 0.83

Key Players: Lucas Strain (.400, 8 runs scored), Carter Troncin (.368, 1 HR)

Overview: Iowa's pitching is obviously its strength. Brady Roberts pitched in five of the six games including the upset victory over Minnesota in the final. Sam Young and Grant Garwood are also solid on the mound. The team only slugged .353 and hit two home runs. The power numbers need to improve if Iowa wants to compete and improve on the Midwest's track record.

Predictions

Round 1: Southwest over Northwest, New England over Southeast, West over Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic over Midwest.

Winners Bracket Round 2: Southwest over New England, West over Mid-Atlantic.

Losers Bracket Round 2: New England beats Great Lakes, Southeast beats Mid-Atlantic

Losers Bracket Round 3: New England beats Southeast

US Final Four: West over Southwest, Southwest over New England.

US Championship: West over Southwest


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You can listen to Little League Insider Radio from Sunday for a bit of an initial LLWS preview. I also did an interview on WRAK radio in Williamsport and discussed all the teams and their chances at winning some first round games. That interview isn't available for replay, but will be on WRAK a few times during the week. I'm hoping to get a schedule.

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Listen to previous episodes of Little League Insider Radio

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Little League World Series Week!

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Well, it's finally here! The greatest tournament in the world has reached its final destination... South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Everyone always says Williamsport instead of South Williamsport including myself. The entire area is part of Williamsport's metro area, Little League began in Williamsport. Apparently the bridge over the Susquehanna River is a big difference. The folks that call South Williamsport home take it seriously. Someone even compared it to West and East Germany. Sooo.. we'll try and say South Williamsport as often as possible.

All 16 teams are safely at Little League Headquarters and despite having nearly a week off from playing, they're extra busy. Between photo shoots, ESPN shoots, interviews for TV, workouts for Baseball Factory, and everything else under the sun including practices, it's safe to say that everyone is busy.

I tweeted earlier today that there are some MUST-DO's in Williamsport AND South Williamsport this week if you're visiting especially if you're a first-timer, but I think they're all worth seeing every time.

1. Original League located at 1473 West Fourth Street is the actual birthplace of Little League Baseball. At Original League's Carl E. Stotz Field you can see some of the original uniforms, statistics, and other memorabilia. They even host friendly games for teams from around the country to play on the original field. The best part about Original League is that some of the players who first played there, even during the first season, run the museum and will talk to you about their experiences. It's incredible.

2. World of Little League Museum is located on Route 15 at the top of the Little League complex. I haven't been here in 2-3 years (when it was the Peter J. McGovern Museum) and I'm really excited for it. It was completely renovated and redone and sounds spectacular. It's much more interactive, has hundreds of new artifacts, and truly tells the history of Little League Baseball and Softball.

3. The Gallery at Penn College of Technology has a limited showing of an awesome exhibit of photos taken from the Little League World Series between 1947 and 1990 all by legendary photographer Putsy Vannucci. Here's the description straight from the website at Penn College:

This photographic exhibition commemorates legendary Williamsport photographer Putsee Vannucci and celebrates his contributions to the visual history of the Little League Baseball® World Series. Vannucci shot thousands of remarkable images and witnessed the expansion of the event from a national to an international focus. A wide range of fascinating images in the exhibition include behind-the-scenes and on-the-field images of the players, the icons, the visitors, and the historic moments. The images in the exhibition were selected from the archives of the Little League Museum and date from 1947-1990. These captivating photos will appeal to baseball, photography, and history fans of all ages!

Finally, the event I'm looking forward to the most outside of the games and happenings around the Little League World Series itself is the Grand Slam Parade on Wednesday August 14 at 6 p.m. I've never experienced the parade before, but it continues to grow and grow. Upwards of 25,000 people are expected to line the streets in downtown Williamsport to see the 16 floats full of all the players. It's quite a scene and I can't wait to be a part of it.

Starting Tuesday night, I'll have full and complete previews of each team, and then Wednesday I'll have a recap of my day including the parade and anything else going on. On Thursday night through Sunday night, I'll have my usual in-depth recaps, reviews, rankings, and predictions for every game plus first-hand news and notes. I'll be back home Monday, but will continue to give the best information you can find on the Little League World Series.

None of this will be possible without your help though. I'm running a fundraising campaign to get to the Little League World Series so I can bring the best possible coverage to you. Every little bit helps and I really appreciate all the support that the blog and radio show are getting this year. It's been my favorite summer in a long time.

CLICK HERE: Help Little League Insider Get to Williamsport





You can listen to Little League Insider Radio from Sunday for a bit of an initial LLWS preview. I also did an interview on WRAK radio in Williamsport and discussed all the teams and their chances at winning some first round games. That interview isn't available for replay, but will be on WRAK a few times during the week. I'm hoping to get a schedule.

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Listen to previous episodes of Little League Insider Radio

Episode 1
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Newark National (DE) Gets Over Hump to Williamsport

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Apparently, the third time really is the charm.

In its third straight trip to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament, Newark National Little League, the Delaware state champion, finally broke through. In 2011, Newark went unbeaten in pool play but lost in the regional semifinal. In 2012, Newark made it to the Mid-Atlantic championship but lost a heartbreaker to Par-Troy East (NJ). Finally, Newark can call itself regional champions.

Behind a six-run third inning and a dominating performance from Nate Hardcastle, Newark National beat previously unbeaten Lionville (PA), 8-2.

Hardcastle pitched 5 1/3 innings with just one run on three hits. He struck out 10 batters with a fastball that topped at 79 miles per hour. He was also 2-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored. Eric Ludman had two hits including a double and two RBI. Joe Davis added two RBI and 11-year old Brandon Sengphachanh also had a RBI single.

Pennsylvania struck early against Hardcastle with a single from Michael Rodriguez and an RBI double from Connor Kalten. Nobody reached second base again for Lionville.

Delaware's big third inning put the game out of reach and chased the Pennsylvania starter from the game. Lionville went to shortstop Michael Rodriguez who did his best to keep his team in the game. He pitched the final 3 1/3 innings and allowed just one run on two hits and struck out eight batters without a walk.

Newark National will rely on Hardcastle's arm in Williamsport, but will need someone else to step up on the mound. At the plate, Davis and Hardcastle really lead the way. They've scored 33% of the team's runs and have more than half the team's RBIs. The team hit .346 in the regional overall.

Newark National is just the second team to ever make it to the Little League World Series from Delaware. Naamans Little League from Wilmington won the Mid-Atlantic championship in 2003. Delaware will open the World Series against Urbandale (IA) on Friday night at 8 p.m.

You can listen to Little League Insider Radio from earlier on Sunday right here.

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Little League Insider Radio: Episode 3

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On this edition of Little League Insider Radio, John Malone, Chris DeAngelo, and Mike McGinnis talked about John’s East Regional Tournament experience and the dominant performance of Westport CT’s Chad Knight. Tim Rogers, the manager of Westport and the New England champions called in to talk about the great effort his team put out to make it to Williamsport. During the final segments, Mike and Chris peppered John with questions about the United States and International teams that have already qualified for the Little League World Series.

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Knight Dominates, Westport Wins New England Championship

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Courtesy of LISPN.com

Westport Little League of Connecticut needed every bit of Chad Knight's dominating performance on the mound to pull out an incredible 1-0 victory over Lincoln, Rhode Island in the New England Little League championship game. Knight threw a complete game with 14 strikeouts and allowed just one hit, a bunt single in the fifth inning.

It wasn't until the bottom of the fifth inning that Wesport got its first hit either. Ricky Offenberg ripped a lead off double to get Connecticut going. Drew Rogers hit a hard ground ball up the middle, but Dave Bordieri made a diving stop to keep it in the infield and prevent Offenberg from scoring. After a strikeout and a walk, Knight hit a ground ball to third base that was a potential double play ball, but it mishandled and only one out was recorded. Offenberg scored on the play giving Knight an RBI and all the runs he needed.

In the sixth, Knight sandwiched a groundout with his 13th and 14th strikeouts of the night and sent Westport into a frenzied celebration.

Courtesy of LISPN.Com

Lincoln's Dominic Cunha pitched the game of his life and didn't allow a Westport hit for four innings. He finished with 4 1/3 innings pitched with one run on just the two fifth-inning hits. He struck out 10. It wasn't enough to match Knight. The Westport hitters looked terrible at the plate for most of the night, but were still able to work Cunha's pitch count. Through three innings Cunha was sitting on 62 pitches. Knight had just 38.

Lincoln, which relied on big bats all summer long, had just three base runners in the game including Patrick Gribbin's bunt single. Nobody reached second base.

Westport heads to Williamsport for the first time in league history and will face South Nashville (TN) Little League at 8 p.m. on Thursday night in the Little League World Series.

Courtesy of LISPN.Com

When Westport is hitting, the offense can come from anywhere. Harry Azadian, Knight's pitching cohort, led the team in multiple offensive categories including 11 RBI. Five different players homered in the regional for Westport, and the staff ERA was just 1.03 led by Knight and Azadian. Offenberg leads the defense at shortstop which is nearly flawless.

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Mid-Atlantic Semifinal Recaps & Championship Preview

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Newark National (DE) 15, Capitol City (DC) 4 (4 innings)

For the second straight year, Newark National is playing for the Mid-Atlantic region championship. After struggling in its pool play opener against Capitol City, Newark went right to work in the first inning and never looked back.

The top three spots in the batting order (Brett Callahan, Nate Hardcastle, Joey Davis, and sub David Hawtof) went 8-for-9 with three home runs, nine RBI, and 11 runs scored. In the 12 plate appearances, none of them made an out.

It was an offensive explosion that continued from Newark’s final pool play game against New Jersey. Nate Hardcastle, Newark’s most imposing player, broke out of his homerless streak here in Bristol with two monster home runs including one off the scoreboard in deep centerfield. Joey Davis continued his torrid home run streak with his seventh home run in seven games including three this week.

Ryan Miller added a solo home run in the third inning giving Delaware seven home runs from five different players over the last two games.

Capitol City got on the scoreboard in the third inning with four runs after working Delaware’s starting pitcher for 85+ pitches in less than three innings. Rory Friel and Sofia Ohanian each singled and Zach Lordan and Adin McGurk worked RBI walks.

Delaware stayed away from the dangerous Robert Reynolds in his first two plate appearances as the star hitter drew a pair of walks, but in his final at-bat in Bristol, he ripped a line drive single over Hardcastle’s head at short. It was his eighth hit in his last nine at-bats to finish with a .733 batting average. Ohanian set my unofficial record for hits by a female player in the East Region since at least 2000.

Lionville (PA) 9, Berlin (MD) 3

Based on some scoreboard watching before the tournament, Lionville was considered one of the tournament favorites. After its 4-0 start, it was still unclear what Pennsylvania’s potential was. They looked the part physically. They had hard throwers and home run power, but it didn’t look completely put together… until today.

Connor Kalten allowed just two earned runs in 4 2/3 innings, giving up four hits and striking out 11. It was his best pitching performance of the tournament. At the plate, Lionville showed great poise in waiting out Berlin’s crafty Hayden Snelsire and drew an unusual five walks from Maryland’s best spot-hitting pitcher.

Pennsylvania struck for three runs in the second inning with an RBI double from the hot-hitting Zach Burton, and an RBI single from Scott Jewett. The big blow came in the fourth inning when Michael Rodriguez hit a monster blast to left field for a grand slam.

Berlin added three runs late in the game but never truly got back in it. Ryan Duncan finished with two hits, Billy Wheatley, Hayden Snelsire, and Cole Gursky added singles, and Wes Powell had the lone RBI. Joseph Cestare and Michael Rodriguez closed the game out with a combined 1 1/3 innings of no runs.


Lionville (PA) (5-0) vs. Newark National (DE) (4-1)

Seven berths in the Little League World Series are locked up. It all comes down to this battle in the Mid-Atlantic. Lionville, Pennsylvania comes in unbeaten, and Newark National, Delaware comes in with the best pitcher in the Mid-Atlantic region, Nate Hardcastle.

Either Michael Rodriguez or Joe Janick will get the ball for Pennsylvania and they'll have the task of matching Delaware's ace. Hardcastle lives in the mid-70s with a nasty diving slider. He has 18 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings pitched and hasn't allowed an earned run. Hardcastle and Davis are great hitters, and only one player on the roster is hitting less than .300.

Despite being very good hitters, Pennsylvania has yet to hit to its potential in the regional and they're still unbeaten. Joe Janick has led Lionville to this point, but has slumped in Bristol. If he breaks out, Lionville will be impossible to beat.

Connor Kalten, Michael Rodriguez, and Zach Burton have supplied the power numbers and Joe Cestare and Justin Best have gotten on base at the top of the order. Lionville puts pressure on teams with its ridiculous on-base plus slugging percentage. Six players have a 1.000 OPS% or better.

Lionville will need to work Hardcastle's pitch count and get him out of the game while matching zeroes early on. With the amount of walks that Lionville's staff allows, it's going to be tough. If Hardcastle lasts into the fifth inning, I think Newark, Delaware will become the second team from The First State to reach Williamsport.

Prediction: Newark (DE) 2, Lionville (PA) 1

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