Little League World Series 2023: Friday Schedule, TV Info and Bracket Predictions

Defending international champions Curaçao earned its first victory of the tournament Thursday afternoon and were joined by the dominant Chinese Taipei and Seattle, Washington squads, who blanked the opposition while scoring a bevy of runs.

El Segundo, California's squad joined them with a narrow victory over Gray, Maine.

Little League World Series action continues Friday with some intriguing match-ups and what may be the game of the tournament to this point.

Who will emerge from the latest slate of games and where, and when, can you check out all of the action?

Find out now with this look ahead.

Thursday Results

AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar

Curacao's Jayvery Felicia (4) follows through on his swing as he drove in the game winning run against Australia during the fifth inning of a baseball game at the Little League World Series tournament in South Williamsport, Pa., Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023. Curacao won the game 2-1. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)

Scores from Thursday's games included:

Curaçao def. Australia (2-1)

Washington def. Maine (10-0)

Chinese-Taipei def. Canada (6-0)

California def. Ohio (4-3)

Friday Schedule

AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Smithfield, R.I.'s Connor Curtis delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against Henderson, Nev., at the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pa., Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Latin America (Maracaibo, Venezuela) vs. Panama (Santiago de Veraguas, Panama) (1:00 p.m., ESPN; prediction: Latin America)

Southeast (Nolensville, Tennessee) vs. Metro (Smithfield, Rhode Island) (3:00 p.m., ESPN; Rhode Island)

Mexico (Tijuana, Mexico) vs. Japan (Tokyo, Japan) (5:00 p.m., ESPN; prediction; Japan)

Midwest (Fargo, North Dakota) vs. Southwest (Needville, Texas) (7:00 p.m., ESPN; prediction: Midwest)

Friday Preview

AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar

The Midwest Region champion Little League team from Fargo, N.D., participates in the opening ceremony of the 2023 Little League World Series tournament in South Williamsport, Pa., Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)

The Fargo Little League team out of North Dakota wowed its fans and onlookers in regional competition, thanks to its ability to score runs in bunches. They make their debut Friday night against the Southwest representative out of Needville, Texas, who defeated host state Pennsylvania's Media team Wednesday.

It is the headline game of an afternoon full of intriguing match-ups that include Rhode Island's second appearance in the tournament.

Tuesday, Connor Curtis struck out 15 of 16 batters on the mound to help the Smithfield team knockoff Henderson, Nevada, 3-1. It remains to be seen if they can replicate that performance against a fresh Tennessee squad that has yet to play in this tournament.

Panama impressed Wednesday with a shutout of the Czech Republic but will likely face a greater challenge Friday in the form of Venezuela, a perennial powerhouse and a team that could very well win the entire tournament.

If Omar Vargas waffles the ball like he did earlier this week, though, Panama will be able to hang with any opponent.

Japan vs. Mexico may prove to be the game of the tournament to this point.

Japan can play with anyone and has a rich history of success in the LLWS. They have won the tournament five times since 2010 and are an early favorite to do so again in 2023. Awaiting them is a team out of Mexico that can play step-for-step with the Tokyo squad.

If Japan gets off to a hot start, it will cruise to victory. If Mexico keeps it close, though, it can easily earn a win.

And vice versa.