Undefeated teams Oklahoma and Missouri play in Tuesday’s Little League World Series

Before the skies emptied and the rain poured down to delay the first round Monday of the Little League Softball World Series, there were two earlier games that brought stellar pitching efforts and identical 4-0 final scores.”

In the morning opener at the new World Series site at Elm Park’s Stalling Stadium in Greenville, N.C, undefeated Muskinkee Oklahoma of the Green County Little League having right hander Cambri Casey mow down Caucus Foothills of Arizona by yielding only three hits and striking out 13.

Oklahoma scored all the runs it needed early, with one each in the first inning and another in the second, and added two more in the sixth. It came away with seven hits and also took advantage of three Arizona errors, while Taylan Starr batted in two runs as Oklahoma won its sixth-straight to match-up with also unbeaten Missouri (6-1) in the Tuesday semifinals.

In a previous game, Casey has fanned 11 in going the route against region rival New Jersey.

In game two, it was the same score and this time it was Columbia Little League of unbeaten Missouri southpaw Kennedy Watson turning in a masterful job in the victory over Summerlin South LL of Nevada. Watson turned in a no-hitter while whiffing seven behind an error-less defense.

Her side came up with a trio of runs in the opening frame and pushed across another in the sixth. It managed eight hits and Watson, Grace Brittan and Brooklyn Center drove in a run each, with Center now seven for 14 in the tournament. Watson had pitched a 2-hitter in the regions, and now it’s Mo versus Oklahoma.

Of the 10 teams in the World Series, all from only the United States this time, Rowan North Carolina Little League won the championship in 2015 and 2019, and lost in the finals that proceeded the absence of the event in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Texas West won once and that was by Lake Air of Waco in 2017, but Robinson also finished on top its district 13 times.The Arizona team from Tucson was the 2013 winner. Robbinsville New Jersey makes its sixth appearance in the World Series and won it all in 2014.

Missouri, Oklahoma, Indiana, New York and Nevada are looking for a first-time World Series title.

The first game in the lengthy rain delay was Robinson LL from Texas West (5-2) facing host North Carolina (5-2), and they resumed after an almost 2-hour delay. It was a tight contest, well-played quarterfinals before a NC home crowd and Texas, which always travels well.

It was 2-2 since the first two innings, with North Carolina scoring twice in the last of the first and Texas tying it with two in the top of the second. What followed made for an exiting game. First Texas turned in a triple play in the fourth frame when a low liner was caught by the second baseman, who then tossed to the shortstop at second, who then threw to first. It was reviewed, but the umpires confirmed the play.

Meanwhile, NC came up with two double plays, one with runners on first and second and a a bouncer to short got the force out at third, and the throw to second was on time for the DP. Two innings later, a short pop up was caught by the second baseman, who then flipped it to first for that DP.

Then came extra innings after it was deadlocked at 2-2 after the regulation six. And it was Texas scoring twice on a walk and two hits in the top of the seventh and then shutting down North Carolina in the last of the inning to gain the Tuesday semifinals against the Virginia-New Jersey survivor.

In the closer, New Jersey representing the Garden State would take on Chesterfield, Va. New Jersey’s lone setback was to New York, 2-1, in the region finals. Virginia lost only to North Carolina, but then edged it 3-2 to win the Southeast region.

And then came disappointing news for the New York team that nipped New Jersey to win the East. It was scheduled to play North Carolina Monday, but instead was ruled out of the tournament when it was reported it had a player who tested positive for Covid-19.

But the good news was in the weather report, with the skies clearing and a sunny late part of the day, but for New York, it didn’t matter, With the protocol news, it was out of play and miserable as it packed up to head home.

With this, the host team was lined up with Texas West in game three, and the Chesterfield Virginia team team went against New Jersey in the day’s finale, both taking the field with 4-2 records.

This was a right handed pitcher’s dual before Virginia went in front 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth when its base runner on third sped home on a wild pitch. The play was close, it was reviewed, and again the runner was safe, and in the circle, it was 5-foot-7 Jennifer Keefer of Virginia versus 5-1 Lila O’Neal of New Jersey.

And into the top of the sixth came the Jersey girls, win or go home. Keefer struck out the first batter, the next hitter grounded out to short, and Brittany  Bowman followed with a 3-2 pitch single into right field before Keefer then fanned the final hitter and the Final Four became a happening.

But these Elite Eight contests were pretty damn good, a trio of shutouts, a 2-run final, remarkable defense, the usual good sportsmanship, and not too much hitting because the hurling was more in control.

Now In the semis, the opener has Oklahoma against Missouri in 2 p.m. (Mountain Time) on ESPN, and Texas-Virginia in the closer. The championship game is Thursday.