SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
By Arnie Leshin
Good try Wilemstad, Curacao, you worked your way out of the loser’s bracket, avoided elimination, and made the championship game of the Baseball Little League World Series, but on top of the heap and arguably the best damn team was the undefeated talented youngsters from Honolulu, Hawaii.
How dominating was this 11-13 age group from the far-off island, well it won all its six starts, averaged 10 runs per game, totaling 60 and allowed just five, and cruised past a confident Curacao squad and its huge turnout, 13-3, Sunday afternoon for its second four-inning mercy rule victory in its last three outings.
It followed up Honolulu’s title in 2018, and was the fourth for the team with the longest trip to South Williamsport, Pa., for the 75th annual World Series.
But it was well worth it for it simply dominated the rest of the field. It fell behind for the first time when Curacao scored its lone run in the top of the first inning, and it came after its lead-off batter singled for its only hit until the third frame.
It was measly to Hawaii for it stormed back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning on back-to-back solo home runs, added five more in the second and third innings, and were within one run for the 10-run mercy rule after Curacao tallied twice in the top of the fourth. As confident as it was, Hawaii’s players and coaches in the dugout were calling out for “one more run.”
And sure enough it happened. Kylie Angell singled to right after one out, sped to second on a wild pitch by Shemak Jacobus, a ground out to second followed, Angell took third, and crossed the plate and jumped as high as he could after Kekoa Payanol singled up the middle for his team’s seventh hit of the game.
Not many hits as usual, but five Hawaii players were hit by pitchers, one reached on an error, and there were six base on balls. It might have touched on frustration for the once-beaten team that thought it had a chance for an upset.
The two more home runs for the Honolulu kids gave them 14 for the tournament. One was by Daley Wakill and followed by Jaren Everett’s. Starting pitcher Jordan Lancaster went the four innings striking out six, walking one, and giving up three hits.
Said Hawaii manager Granley Oda: “We had a grand time. Not only did we play real well and win, but we met a lot of other teams, their players and coaches, and it was just great to play here. And now we get to fly home with the trophy.”
Hawaii had defeated Southeast Nolensville, Tennessee, 6-1, in the United States final Saturday after routing it 13-0 in the previous contest. It had swept past Northern and Southern California and Arizona in the Northwest Region, none of the games close.
Curacao’s lone loss was 5-2 to Panama. Then it won three straight that included a 1-0 tussle with previously undefeated Chinese Taipei (Tawain) City.
Chinese Taipei is the capital of Tawain, which has won a record 17 World Series, the last in 2009. Japan is second with 11, California leads the U.S. field with seven, New Jersey and Connecticut have four, and Pennsylvania and Mexico have three.
In the game for third place played earlier on Sunday, Tawain blanked Tennessee, 2-0.
South Williamsport has been the site since the first LL World Series in 1957.
