Little League World Series 2016: Final Scores, Results, Thursday Highlights

The final two spots in the international and United States finals were on the line Thursday, with the winners getting one step closer to a Little League World Series title and the losers heading home.

Below, we'll break down Thursday's pair of contests.

Scores

Team 1	Score	Team 2
Asia-Pacific	7-0	Mexico
Southeast	8-4	Great Lakes

Recap

Asia-Pacific Beats Mexico, 7-0

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

South Korea earned a place in the international final on Thursday with a 7-0 win over Mexico.

Seum Kwon was the hero, ripping two home runs and totaling three RBI, while Jaekyeong Kim blasted a three-run homer in the second inning. Kwon's two-run shot in the team's five-run second inning gave the South Koreans a 6-0 lead and put the game out of reach.

Meanwhile, Sangheon Park and Wontae Cho were brilliant on the mound, pitching three innings apiece and combining to give up just one hit while striking out 13 batters.

Not even the broadcast's camera could handle South Korea's onslaught, per Little League:

Victor Juarez took the loss for Mexico, giving up seven runs on four hits and two walks while striking out seven. Gael Isaac Cortez had the only hit of the game for Mexico, which was eliminated from the tournament with the loss.

South Korea, meanwhile, will next face Panama on Saturday in the international final, with a spot in the World Series championship game on the line.

Southeast Beats Great Lakes, 8-4

Thursday’s showdown was a tale of one inning for the victorious Tennessee.

It scored five runs in the decisive fourth inning and turned a 4-2 deficit into a 7-4 lead before ultimately winning, 8-4. Zach McWilliams drilled a grand slam in that fourth inning, and Ryan Oden added a sacrifice fly as well.

Pitcher RJ Moore then closed the door on Kentucky when he pitched two shutout innings in relief of Oden, who allowed four runs in four innings. Little League shared the ensuing celebration:

Spencer Newman spearheaded the offensive effort for Kentucky with three hits in three at-bats and two runs scored. Kentucky actually jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, one of which came off an RBI double from Newman, but Tennessee responded in the top of the second with two runs of its own.

Kentucky then seized momentum right back with two runs in the bottom of the third, but the fourth inning proved to be too much to overcome. Tennessee also tacked on an insurance run in the sixth.

Kentucky rallied in the bottom of the sixth and put runners on second and third but could not push across any runs against Moore. 

Tennessee faces the Mid-Atlantic region in the United States championship on Saturday.

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