LITTLE LEAGUE
WORLD SERIES
CHICAGO 6, PHILADELPHIA 5
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Joshua Houston had a clutch two-run single, reliever Cameron Bufford pitched a tense scoreless sixth inning, and Chicago held off gritty Philadelphia 6-5 on Thursday night in a matchup of inner-city teams at the Little League World Series.
The loss eliminated Philadelphia and prevented star pitcher Mo'ne Davis from getting one last shot to put another stamp on what had become her personal playground.
Chicago's Jackie Robinson West, comprised of all black players, is making its first appearance in 31 years in the Little League World Series. The victory sends the Great Lakes champs into the U.S. title game on Saturday against Las Vegas.
Las Vegas, the West champions, beat Philly 8-1 on Wednesday and humbled Chicago 13-2 in four innings in a mercy-rule game last Sunday behind five home runs, including a grand slam by Brad Stone and two home runs from Austin Kryszczuk.
JAPAN 12, MEXICO 1
Japan picked a perfect time to find its power stroke.
Suguru Kanamori homered twice and Ren Takeuchi also had a big day, helping Japan beat Mexico to advance to the international championship.
Hayato Ueshima had a leadoff drive for Japan's first home run of the tournament, and Kanamori also went deep in the first. Kanamori added a three-run shot in the fifth, giving Japan the mercy-rule victory.
Ueshima, who raced around the bases with a wide smile on his face, said he doesn't hit home runs often.
Japan will play South Korea for the title on Saturday. It lost 4-2 to South Korea on Wednesday.
Takeuchi allowed one hit, Juan Garza's leadoff home run in the first, in 3 2/3 innings. He also went 2 for 3 with three RBI in the five-inning game.
Takeuchi said he made a mistake on his first batter, and credited his teammates for scoring in the bottom of the first and relieving him of any added pressure.
"We gained momentum," Takeuchi said. "I thank my teammates, and I could make sure my pitching was what I wanted afterward."
Mexico committed five errors.
"We knew that we had to play perfect against Japan. We couldn't do it," manager Hector Arrieta said. "It was hard to come back from that."
Sports on 08/22/2014