In 2011, California and Japan met for the Little League World Series title.
After Japan rolled Panama 10-2 in the International Championship, many thought it was a forgone conclusion that a rematch would ensue.
After clawing its way to the United States Championship from the loser's bracket, California was motivated and focused for a shot at Japan and back to back titles for the state of California.
Tennessee, a team who wasn't even supposed to win its regional final against Warner Robbins, had a different idea.
When California goes to sleep tonight, one Tennessee player will continue to haunt their dreams.
That player is Lorenzo Brown
His three home runs and nine RBI propelled Tennessee to a 24-16 win and a chance at the Little League World Series title against Japan tomorrow at 3 ET.
With these being two of the best hitting teams in the tournament, the game was primed to be a slugfest.
Tennessee didn't waste any time showing why they are still undefeated in Williamsport. After California pitcher Bradley Smith walked Jayson Smith with one out in the first, Brock Myers hit his fourth home run of the tournament, giving Tennessee a 2-0 lead.
In the bottom half of the inning, it was California's time to put some runs on the board. Porter Slate led off with a single. Logan Douglas reached on an error and Danny Marzo singled to left, loading the bases with no one out.
Next to the plate was Bradley Smith, who might be the most dominant hitter in this Little League World Series. After coming into the game 9-14, pitcher Brock Myers got Smith to ground into a huge double play. A run was scored, but a big inning was averted. Myers then struck out Kempton Brandis to end the inning with Tennessee leading 2-1.
An error by Hance Smith opened up the third inning for Tennessee. After Jack Rucker got on and moved to second on a wild pitch, Jayson Smith drove him in, making the score 3-1. With Myers coming up, California decided to make a change to the slower throwing Andrew White.
White wasn't able to have much success either as Tennessee was continuing to find holes. After three consecutive singles by Myers, Brown, and Carter, Tennessee took a 5-1 lead, still with no one out.
As if the inning couldn't get any worse for California, Lorenzo Butler sent a three run home run over the right field wall, blowing open the game and extending Tennessee's lead to 8-1.
California showed some life in the third, scoring their second run on a single by Danny Marzo. Bradley Smith then doubled down the left field line, scoring two more and making this a game once again. Before the inning had ended, California added another on a wild pitch, now only trailing 8-5.
After what looked like a 1-2-3 inning for Andrew White and California, three consecutive singles by Myers, Smith, and Carter gave Tennessee a 9-5 lead. Lorenzo Butler decided that one three run homer wasn't enough, so he decided to hit another one, increasing Tennessee's lead to 7 after four innings of play.
In the 6th inning, Tennessee had two men on with no one out and the man of the game (Lorenzo Butler) stepped up to the plate. As he did in his other two at bats, he got down to 2 strikes before crushing his third home run of the day, giving him 9 RBI (a LLWS record).
It was surely a day to remember for Butler, but he will have to continue his hot streak tomorrow if his team wants to upend a talented Japan squad.
Brock Myers pitched a decent game for the Southwest Regional champs. He went 5 innings, giving up 5 runs and striking out 8. Ryan Lyles came on in the 6th, but couldn't record an out while giving up four runs. Luke Brown came in next and retired Porter Slate for the first out with the score now 15-10. Logan Douglas cut the lead to four with a single and now we had a game on our hands. Marzo popped out to center field and California was down to their last out. Bradley Smith then doubled to bring California within three.
With California down to their last strike, Kempton Brandis hit an opposite field home run to cut the lead to one. Next up to bat was the coaches son, Hance Smith. Smith ended up doing the unthinkable and homering to tie the game at 15 and sending the game into extra innings.
In the top of the seventh, Tennessee kept its composure and exploded for 9 runs. California pitchers were over matched and couldn't keep the ball away from where Tennessee hitters could hit it.
In the bottom of the seventh, Luke Brown was able to finally close out the game while only allowing one run in the process. The best game in a while had ended and Tennessee was moving on.
Japan has been dominant throughout the LLWS, but can Tennessee hold their own and take home the crown for the United States once again?
With Jayson Smith, Brock Myers, and Lorenzo Butler in the middle of that line up, I sure don't see why not.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
California defeats Connecticut for Second Time, Lives to See Another Day
California might have had its most pressure filled game yesterday when Danny Marzo hit a walk off home run in the bottom of the 8th to beat New Jersey and live another day.
Even with the win, Bradley Smith was unable to pitch, their hitting had hit a bit of a slump, and they had to face a team in Fairfield, Connecticut that would want this game more than any of the 50 games they have played this summer.
With all of those factors against them, California came out focused and on a mission, defeating Connecticut for the second time and advancing to the semifinal Thursday night. After Bradley Smith went 4-4 in their first game against Fairfield, this 5-0 win rested solely on the play of their defense.
California pitcher Quinton Gago dominated the game from the mound, striking out 7 and only allowing 2 hits in 5 plus innings of work. A night after Indiana's offense was completely shutdown by Fairfield's Will Lucas, they were the ones struggling to get anything going on the offensive end.
"It was a great performance." said Hunter Smith of Quinton Gago's pitching performance. "This might have been the best I have ever seen him pitch."
If that is indeed the case, then what a time for Gago to pitch the game of his young life.
On the other hand, it was only a matter of time before the California bats began to heat up.
The bottom of the order started the rally in the second for California. With one out, Austin Paretti reached on an error in right field by Henry Prestegaard. James O'Hanlon then singled to center, putting runners on first and third. Fairfield shortstop Will Lucas made an incredible play to rob a hit by Cole Tomei, but a run scored in the process, giving California a 1-0 lead.
A simple throwing error lead to the next California run. After Bradley Smith struck out but still reached base, Austin Paretti laid down a bunt. Pitcher Matt Kubel bare-handed the ball but threw wide of Patrick Steed, putting runners on second and third. This was followed by a high fly ball by Hunter Smith. Instead of landing as a sac fly, the ball carried so much that it actually cleared the 2nd fence, giving California a demanding 4-0 lead
In what was a good pitching performance from Fairfield's Matt Kubel, errors disrupted what could have been a real pitching duel. The only mistake Kubel made was a big one. A three run home run by Hunter Smith in the third to give California a decisive 4-0 lead.
Apparently Gago didn't believe a 4-0 lead wasn't enough as he doubled in the 5th to bring home the fifth run of the game.
After coming so close to elimination, California is now in prime position to make a run in the United States bracket. Tonight was an indicator that they have plenty of pitching and an offense that seems to be coming together at the right time.
If one thing's for sure, the loser of Tennessee and Texas better be ready for a serious challenge on Thursday night. With a dominant pitcher in Bradley Smith, California seems poised to run through the loser's bracket and make a run at a Little League World Series title.
Even with the win, Bradley Smith was unable to pitch, their hitting had hit a bit of a slump, and they had to face a team in Fairfield, Connecticut that would want this game more than any of the 50 games they have played this summer.
With all of those factors against them, California came out focused and on a mission, defeating Connecticut for the second time and advancing to the semifinal Thursday night. After Bradley Smith went 4-4 in their first game against Fairfield, this 5-0 win rested solely on the play of their defense.
California pitcher Quinton Gago dominated the game from the mound, striking out 7 and only allowing 2 hits in 5 plus innings of work. A night after Indiana's offense was completely shutdown by Fairfield's Will Lucas, they were the ones struggling to get anything going on the offensive end.
"It was a great performance." said Hunter Smith of Quinton Gago's pitching performance. "This might have been the best I have ever seen him pitch."
If that is indeed the case, then what a time for Gago to pitch the game of his young life.
On the other hand, it was only a matter of time before the California bats began to heat up.
The bottom of the order started the rally in the second for California. With one out, Austin Paretti reached on an error in right field by Henry Prestegaard. James O'Hanlon then singled to center, putting runners on first and third. Fairfield shortstop Will Lucas made an incredible play to rob a hit by Cole Tomei, but a run scored in the process, giving California a 1-0 lead.
A simple throwing error lead to the next California run. After Bradley Smith struck out but still reached base, Austin Paretti laid down a bunt. Pitcher Matt Kubel bare-handed the ball but threw wide of Patrick Steed, putting runners on second and third. This was followed by a high fly ball by Hunter Smith. Instead of landing as a sac fly, the ball carried so much that it actually cleared the 2nd fence, giving California a demanding 4-0 lead
In what was a good pitching performance from Fairfield's Matt Kubel, errors disrupted what could have been a real pitching duel. The only mistake Kubel made was a big one. A three run home run by Hunter Smith in the third to give California a decisive 4-0 lead.
Apparently Gago didn't believe a 4-0 lead wasn't enough as he doubled in the 5th to bring home the fifth run of the game.
After coming so close to elimination, California is now in prime position to make a run in the United States bracket. Tonight was an indicator that they have plenty of pitching and an offense that seems to be coming together at the right time.
If one thing's for sure, the loser of Tennessee and Texas better be ready for a serious challenge on Thursday night. With a dominant pitcher in Bradley Smith, California seems poised to run through the loser's bracket and make a run at a Little League World Series title.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Indiana Uses Pitching and Timely Hitting to Advance on Little League's Biggest Stage
The lights. The stage. The pressure.
This is exactly what the kids at the Little League World Series have to live up to once they arrive at Williamsport.
The final game of day two was between Indiana, representing the Great Lakes Region, and Oregon, representing the Northwest Region.
Having the last game of the first round, both these teams have done a lot of sitting around. Luckily for both squads, they each had a pitcher who could carry a team regardless of hitting or fielding.
In the end however, Indiana was able to hold on 4 to 0.
Zero runs were put across during the first three innings as pitchers Cayden Smekens and Greg Mahlhaff were going through the opponents lineups with ease. During the fourth inning, Indiana coaches made a questionable decision by taking out ace Cayden Smekens, who was dominating the game at the time. The reason for the change was his pitch count because they wanted Smekens to pitch on two days rest instead of three.
The new pitcher for New Castle was Niah Williamson and he picked up right where Smekens left off, pitching 2 and 2/3 innings of shutout ball. Bryce Pinkard was able to come in and get the final out, securing the win for the Great Lakes.
Oregon ace Greg Mahlhaff cruised through the first four innings while only allowing 1 hit and striking out 7. It wasn't until the 5th when Indiana finally got to him.
The inning started with a single from Corey Murphy, who advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. After a single by Brett Matney moved Murphy over to third, a wild pitch brought him home and gave Indiana a 1-0 lead. Bryce Huntley then doubled, giving Indiana 2nd and 3rd with the top of the order coming up. Mason Gillis check swung but was able to send it down the line, scoring two more and giving the Great Lakes a 3-0 lead. To top it off, clean up hitter Hunter McCubbins blooped a single into center-field, scoring another and extending their lead to 4-0.
After 4 innings with only one hit, the team from Indiana was able to dig deep and advance to the winner's bracket, despite only having a 2-2 record in regional pool play.
Oregon now moves to the loser's bracket and will play New Jersey in an elimination game Saturday at 8 PM. Meanwhile, Indiana will get a day off and play Texas Sunday at 5 PM.
In every Little League World Series, there is always a Cinderella who never seems to belong but still is able to make a deep run in the tournament.
With a pitcher in Smekens and hitters like McCubbins and Gillis, why not Indiana?
Kyle Stackpole
This is exactly what the kids at the Little League World Series have to live up to once they arrive at Williamsport.
The final game of day two was between Indiana, representing the Great Lakes Region, and Oregon, representing the Northwest Region.
Having the last game of the first round, both these teams have done a lot of sitting around. Luckily for both squads, they each had a pitcher who could carry a team regardless of hitting or fielding.
In the end however, Indiana was able to hold on 4 to 0.
Zero runs were put across during the first three innings as pitchers Cayden Smekens and Greg Mahlhaff were going through the opponents lineups with ease. During the fourth inning, Indiana coaches made a questionable decision by taking out ace Cayden Smekens, who was dominating the game at the time. The reason for the change was his pitch count because they wanted Smekens to pitch on two days rest instead of three.
The new pitcher for New Castle was Niah Williamson and he picked up right where Smekens left off, pitching 2 and 2/3 innings of shutout ball. Bryce Pinkard was able to come in and get the final out, securing the win for the Great Lakes.
Oregon ace Greg Mahlhaff cruised through the first four innings while only allowing 1 hit and striking out 7. It wasn't until the 5th when Indiana finally got to him.
The inning started with a single from Corey Murphy, who advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. After a single by Brett Matney moved Murphy over to third, a wild pitch brought him home and gave Indiana a 1-0 lead. Bryce Huntley then doubled, giving Indiana 2nd and 3rd with the top of the order coming up. Mason Gillis check swung but was able to send it down the line, scoring two more and giving the Great Lakes a 3-0 lead. To top it off, clean up hitter Hunter McCubbins blooped a single into center-field, scoring another and extending their lead to 4-0.
After 4 innings with only one hit, the team from Indiana was able to dig deep and advance to the winner's bracket, despite only having a 2-2 record in regional pool play.
Oregon now moves to the loser's bracket and will play New Jersey in an elimination game Saturday at 8 PM. Meanwhile, Indiana will get a day off and play Texas Sunday at 5 PM.
In every Little League World Series, there is always a Cinderella who never seems to belong but still is able to make a deep run in the tournament.
With a pitcher in Smekens and hitters like McCubbins and Gillis, why not Indiana?
Kyle Stackpole
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Little League Recap
The day produced four semifinal games, two from the Great Lakes and two from the Southeast. Here's a recap from today's action.
Great Lakes Region Semifinals
Warren County Southern (Kentucky) 4, Streator (Illinois) 3
With both teams coming in with a 2-2 record, it seemed to be anyone's contest. After surging out to a 4-1 lead, Kentucky was able to hold off an Illinois rally in the fifth and take the win 4-3.
Illinois was off to a good start after scoring a run in the first, but Kentucky responded with three of their own in the bottom half. Each team scored in the fourth, making it a 4-2 game heading into the final two innings.
Illinois threatened in both the fifth and the sixth inning but pitchers Kirtley Lawrence and Matthew Mitchell eventually were able to close the window of opportunity and secure the win.
Lawrence was solid for Kentucky, only giving up 3 runs and striking out 9, keeping the Illinois batters off balance.
Adam Smiley did the damage for Warren County Southern, going 3-3 with 2 runs batted in. With the win, Kentucky is now one win away from going to the Little League World Series.
New Castle (Indiana) 2 , Eau Claire National (Wisconsin) 1
Wisconsin has never had a team reach Williamsport and after Wednesday, they will have to wait another year.
Eau Claire National, the number one seed, was defeated by New Castle 2-1 in a game that could have went either way. Although it may seem like an upset, Indiana easily defeated Wisconsin 8-0 on the second day of pool play, handing them their only loss of the tournament.
Cayden Smekens dominated Wisconsin's lineup, going 5 1/3 shutout innings and only allowing 1 hit while striking out 9. After a shaky first inning, Smekens was lights out.
For Indiana, Hunter McCubbins did all the damage with two hits and two runs batted in. With Cayden Smeken's gem, that was all the offense Indiana needed.
With the win, the championship of the Great Lakes region is set with Indiana taking on Kentucky with a chance to go to Williamsport.
Southeast Region
Goodlettsville Baseball (Tennessee) 9, Greenville Tar Heel (North Carolina) 3
After a strong first inning from Tennessee in which they scored 4 runs, they never looked back and will play in the Southeast Regional title game.
The key to the Tennessee hitting was balance. Six players accounted for the seven hits, making this lineup a difficult on going foward.
As for North Carolina, Kenneth Simmons provided the power with a 2 run home run in the top of the fourth. Other than that, North Carolina's offense was only able to muster up 3 hits against the three pitchers that went for Tennessee.
After going 2-1 in pool play, Tennessee is now only one win away from a moment they have always dreamed of.
Warner Robins American West (Georgia) 5, Great Falls (Virginia) 1
And the team Tennessee will be playing in the finals is...
Warner Robins, Georgia.
If anyone has watched the past couple of years of this regional tournament, they know the team from Warner Robbins is a force to be reckoned with. It seems as though their team is always on the cusp of Williamsport and in most cases, is the team representing this region.
Although they were playing an undefeated Virginia team, Georgia was not intimidated, defeating them 5-1.
Of the three pitchers from Georgia, none of them were overly dominant but were able to get the job done. This wasn't the case for Virginia starter Jason Volpicelli, who gave up three runs and 5 walks in 2 and 2/3 innings.
The key for Warner Robbins was the first three hitters. Tee Williams, Leyton Pinckney, and Kody Winner combined for 6 of the 8 hits and gave the middle of the order a chance to drive them in.
After pool play, many thought that this was the year Warner Robbins would fall short of the ultimate prize. Now they are one game away from returning to a place this town knows very well: Williamsport.
Great Lakes Region Semifinals
Warren County Southern (Kentucky) 4, Streator (Illinois) 3
With both teams coming in with a 2-2 record, it seemed to be anyone's contest. After surging out to a 4-1 lead, Kentucky was able to hold off an Illinois rally in the fifth and take the win 4-3.
Illinois was off to a good start after scoring a run in the first, but Kentucky responded with three of their own in the bottom half. Each team scored in the fourth, making it a 4-2 game heading into the final two innings.
Illinois threatened in both the fifth and the sixth inning but pitchers Kirtley Lawrence and Matthew Mitchell eventually were able to close the window of opportunity and secure the win.
Lawrence was solid for Kentucky, only giving up 3 runs and striking out 9, keeping the Illinois batters off balance.
Adam Smiley did the damage for Warren County Southern, going 3-3 with 2 runs batted in. With the win, Kentucky is now one win away from going to the Little League World Series.
New Castle (Indiana) 2 , Eau Claire National (Wisconsin) 1
Wisconsin has never had a team reach Williamsport and after Wednesday, they will have to wait another year.
Eau Claire National, the number one seed, was defeated by New Castle 2-1 in a game that could have went either way. Although it may seem like an upset, Indiana easily defeated Wisconsin 8-0 on the second day of pool play, handing them their only loss of the tournament.
Cayden Smekens dominated Wisconsin's lineup, going 5 1/3 shutout innings and only allowing 1 hit while striking out 9. After a shaky first inning, Smekens was lights out.
For Indiana, Hunter McCubbins did all the damage with two hits and two runs batted in. With Cayden Smeken's gem, that was all the offense Indiana needed.
With the win, the championship of the Great Lakes region is set with Indiana taking on Kentucky with a chance to go to Williamsport.
Southeast Region
Goodlettsville Baseball (Tennessee) 9, Greenville Tar Heel (North Carolina) 3
After a strong first inning from Tennessee in which they scored 4 runs, they never looked back and will play in the Southeast Regional title game.
The key to the Tennessee hitting was balance. Six players accounted for the seven hits, making this lineup a difficult on going foward.
As for North Carolina, Kenneth Simmons provided the power with a 2 run home run in the top of the fourth. Other than that, North Carolina's offense was only able to muster up 3 hits against the three pitchers that went for Tennessee.
After going 2-1 in pool play, Tennessee is now only one win away from a moment they have always dreamed of.
Warner Robins American West (Georgia) 5, Great Falls (Virginia) 1
And the team Tennessee will be playing in the finals is...
Warner Robins, Georgia.
If anyone has watched the past couple of years of this regional tournament, they know the team from Warner Robbins is a force to be reckoned with. It seems as though their team is always on the cusp of Williamsport and in most cases, is the team representing this region.
Although they were playing an undefeated Virginia team, Georgia was not intimidated, defeating them 5-1.
Of the three pitchers from Georgia, none of them were overly dominant but were able to get the job done. This wasn't the case for Virginia starter Jason Volpicelli, who gave up three runs and 5 walks in 2 and 2/3 innings.
The key for Warner Robbins was the first three hitters. Tee Williams, Leyton Pinckney, and Kody Winner combined for 6 of the 8 hits and gave the middle of the order a chance to drive them in.
After pool play, many thought that this was the year Warner Robbins would fall short of the ultimate prize. Now they are one game away from returning to a place this town knows very well: Williamsport.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Little League World Series Time
Throughout the next couple of weeks, this blog will be dedicated to the most wonderful event of the summer.I will take you through the ups and downs of the Little League World Series up until the Championship in late August
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