Little League World Series 2012 Bracket: Updated Winners and Standings

Day 1 from the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. is now in the books and there was plenty of action from both Volunteer and Lamade Stadium.

Eight Little League teams competed for a chance to enter the winner’s bracket on Thursday; eight more will play on Friday to complete the opening round. By Saturday morning, eight teams will be that much closer to winning the ultimate prize and the other eight will be one loss away from going home.

Don’t worry if you missed the opening four games of the tournament because I have you covered with who won, how the standings look and what’s next for the teams that took the field Thursday.

Day 1 Matchups

Game 1: Japan defeats Caribbean (7-0)

Japan cemented itself as a favorite to win the 2012 Little League World Series with a huge win over Curacao in the tournament opener. Kotaro Kiyomiya was dominant on the mound for Japan, tossing 2.2 hitless innings while striking out seven batters. He was lifted before the 50-pitch mark so he’ll be able to pitch in their next game in Williamsport. Satoru Aoyama went 3-for-4 with two runs, leading the Japanese offense.

Game 2: West defeats New England (6-4)

The second game of the day between California and Connecticut was easily the most intriguing, because it was very close. Back and forth the two teams went before the West champions pulled out in front and never looked back. Bradley Smith pitched a great game for California and Ryan Meury of Connecticut also had some good innings. In the end the Smith and the California offense was just too much for Connecticut, winning 6-4.

Game 3: Asia-Pacific defeats Europe (14-1, 4 innings)

It only took Chinese Taipei four innings to win their first game of the Little League World Series, taking down Germany via the 10-run rule. The Asia-Pacific champions’ bats were silent in the first inning and then put the pedal to the medal from there on out, scoring 14 times in the contest. The combination of Chun-En Lin and Cheng-Feng Lee only gave up one hit to the Germans while striking out eight. Li-Wei Chiang went 2-for-2 with a home run for the victors.

Game 4: Southeast defeats Midwest (12-1)

Tennessee took the nightcap from Nebraska in what was a pretty close game late. It was only 3-0 Southeast going into the top of the fifth inning before Tennessee tacked on two runs, and then seven more in the sixth. The Midwest would score a run in the bottom half of the inning, but were way too far behind to spark a comeback. Brock Myers was incredible on the mound as well as at the plate. He will be the reason this Tennessee team goes so deep into the tournament.

Updated Standings

Through four games, here is how the standings now look. Notice many teams don’t have a win or loss yet and that’s because there are still four opening-round games to be played, scheduled for Friday. Also, the teams are sorted alphabetically by region, not by record:

United States Standings

Great Lakes	New Castle, Indiana	0-0
Mid-Atlantic	Parsippany, New York	0-0
Midwest	Kearney, Nebraska	0-1
New England	Fairfield, Connecticut	0-1
Northwest	Gresham, Oregon	0-0
Southeast	Goodlettsville, Tennessee	1-0
Southwest	San Antonio, Texas	0-0
West	Petaluma, California	1-0

International Standings

Asia-Pacific	Taoyuan, Chinese Taipei	1-0
Canada	Vancouver, British Columbia	0-0
Caribbean	Willemstad, Curacao	0-1
Europe	Ramstein, Germany	0-1
Japan	Tokyo, Japan	1-0
Latin America	Aguadulce, Panama	0-0
MEA	Lugazi, Uganda	0-0
Mexico	Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas	0-0

What's Next for the Day 1 Teams?

Game 9: Caribbean vs. Europe, Volunteer, Saturday, 12:00 p.m. (ESPN and ESPN3)

The first game in the loser’s bracket will feature Curacao—which fell to Japan—and Germany—which fell to Chinese Taipei. This should be a closer game than each of their previous matchups, but the winners of the Caribbean region will survive and eliminate the European champions. Germany looked hopeless against Asia-Pacific and even though Curacao went scoreless, they were playing a much better team in Japan.

Game 10: New England vs. Midwest, Lamade, Saturday, 3:00 p.m. (ABC, ESPN3 and ESPN3D)

The first loser’s bracket matchup from the United States’ side will be between Connecticut—who lost to California—and Nebraska—who lost to Tennessee. Both teams have good hitters, but will rely on their pitchers. This will be a close game, but I thinkConnecticut wins it. Matt Kubel could be on the mound for the New England champions which could mean trouble for the Midwest champs.

Game 14: West vs. Southeast, Lamade, Sunday, 2:00 p.m. (ABC, ESPN3 and ESPN3D)

Both of these teams had impressive wins in their opening round matchups, but who will win the first winner’s bracket game? Tennessee should be able to use Brock Myers again, which puts them ahead, especially if their bats can get going early. California’s ace won’t be on the mound which shouldn’t necessarily concern them, but it will make a difference. I predict at least a four-run victory for the Southeast Little Leaguers.  

Game 16: Japan vs. Asia-Pacific, Lamade, Sunday, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN, ESPN3 and ESPN3D)

This is a bold prediction, but these will be the two teams that face off in the International championship game. They both have great aces who can overpower hitters, but they also have hitters who can demolish pitchers. This game can go either way, but Japan looks like a force to be reckoned with. Their ace, Kotaro Kiyomiya, will likely take the mound again after a dominant performance over Curacao and the Chinese Taipei batters should be very afraid. Kiyomiya is the type of pitcher who could win a team the Little League World Series.