Zaneria Hughes, the 11-year-old master of the strikeout pitch

Greenville, N.C. is not Williamsport, Pa., but it’s where they now play the girls softball ages 10-12 Little League World Series.

It’s the first year there after playing the previous years in Portland, Ore., and is played at Elm Street Park in a picturesque setting. Except that Friday night‘s game between the Southeast Virginia team and Southwest Texas team had an all-day rain and postponed the contest until today.

And it was no doubt a stirring pitcher’s duel as the Southwest, behind 5-foot-2 southpaw 11-year-old Zaneria Hughes continuation of strikeouts as she whiffed 14 in the 1-0 SW win.

It moves the young Texas squad, probably the youngest in the World Series, into the championship game and the Southeast having to play an elimination game later in the day against North Carolina.

Another elimination contest is playing earlier when Connecticut takes on the Philippines.

Hughes, who struck out the side in the second, fourth and sixth, now has fanned 31 batters in the last 18 innings.

The lone came across in the bottom of the first against 13-year-old 5-8 righthander Kayle Hodges, who struck out nine of her own, gave up a lead-off single up the middle by lead-off hitter Raylee Little, who then stole second, sped to third on a wild pitch, and came home on a passed ball that caromed off the glove of the catcher.

That was it. Hughes had a bases-loaded one out jam in the fourth, but managed to get out of it with a strikeout and bouncer back to her.

The Southeast team returned four players from last year’s squad that lost in the World Series final.