Japan vs. Panama: Little League World Series International Championship Preview

Saturday marks one of the biggest days in the lives of the 12-year-olds from Japan and Panama who made the trip to Williamsport as the two countries battle it out for a place in Sunday's Little League World Series Championship Game.

The young Panamanians come into this matchup fresh off of a thrilling 2-1 victory over Mexico looking for a chance at retribution. The teams' first matchup saw Panama become the first team to score against Japan in Williamsport, but it was a hollow victory as the Japanese youngsters came out on top 4-1 on Wednesday.

For Japan this is an opportunity to continue the country's LLWS international dominance. The country has made four of the last six championship games and will look to make it five in seven today.

Waiting for the winner of this contest will be the victor in the United States championship between Tennessee and California.

But before the teams get too ahead of themselves, it'll take a win today to make that happen.

With that in mind, here's a preview of Saturday's international championship game between Japan and Panama:

Where: Howard J. Lamade Stadium in South Williamsport, Pa.

When: Saturday, Aug. 25 at 12 p.m. EDT

TV Networks: ABC and ESPN3D

Rosters

Japan

1: Shota Hidaka

4: Danji Takahashi

5: Hajime Motegi

6: Yuki Ishizuka

7: Rintaro Hirano

8: Satoru Hoyama

10: Noriatsu Osaka

14: Shun Oshima

15: Takuto Miyashita

17: Ryuji Osada

18: Yuta Ishida

19: Tatsuya Irie

21: Keisuke Kagami

27: Kotaro Kiyomiya

Panama

1: Daniel Cruz

2: Daniel Fernandez

3: Edgar Victoria

4: Rafael Eysseric

5: Julio Goff

6: Edwin Nieto

7: Luis Velis

8: Daniel Castro

9: Jean Sanchez

10: Edisson Gonzalez

12: James Gonzalez

13: Juan Crisp

14: Carlos Flavio

17: Jordan Agrazal

Key Player for Japan: Kotaro Kiyomiya

The 6'0" Kiyomiya has been undeniably the best Japanese player on roster and may be the best individual player in Williamsport. Kiyomiya has hit .667 so far in Williamsport, but it's his .800 on-base percentage that is truly indicative of how afraid the opposition is of the young star.

Kiyomiya was also scintillating in a brief appearance on the mound, striking out seven batters in 2.2 innings in Japan's opening-game victory over the Caribbean.

If Kiyomiya takes the mound or actually gets to take the bat off his shoulder today, it could mean bad things for Panama.

Key Player for Panama: James Gonzalez

If Panama hopes to take down Japan's top-notch pitching staff, the onus likely rests on the shoulders of Gonzalez.

The Panamanian star has hit three of the team's four home runs and knocked in eight of Panama's 17 runs so far in the tournament.

And don't discount his prowess on the mound, either. Gonzalez has purposely been held to limited innings for Panama so far, but in the five innings he's thrown, the youngster has been nothing less than sensational.

For an upset to take place, Panama will need the star to hoist the team on his shoulders.

Keys to the Matchup

Can Japan's Pitching Keep It Up?

It's no secret to anyone in Williamsport that Japan is by far the best pitching team in this year's LLWS.

The young Japanese squad has given up just one run in 18 innings so far, relying on the squad's wonderful arms and top-notch defense to come away on top.

But all it takes is one solid ping of the bat with runners on for things to change dramatically for Japan. We're yet to see this young squad go down in a game, which means we're yet to see if the bats can atone for pitching mistakes instead of just the other way around.

Panama is the only team to score against Japan so far in Williamsport. And no matter the level of baseball, it's always easier at the plate the second time around.

If Japan's pitching can keep up this magical run, we'll be seeing them in Sunday's championship game. If not, the team will have to rely on its hitting for the first time in this tournament to advance.

Will Panama Be Able to Score?

Sure, Panama is the only team to put a run up on the board against Japan's pitching so far.

But it was one run.

For the Panamanians to pull off an upset victory, they're going to need an unforeseen boost from the offense. Panama has scored just three runs in the past two contests, relying on pitching almost as much as the opposition so far in Williamsport.

It's almost inevitable that the team's star James Gonzalez does something big with an international championship on the line. His teammates will just need to be on base when he does to have any shot at victory.

Prediction

Expect both sides to come out Saturday and play their hearts out like the champions they are.

It just won't be enough for Panama.

Japan plays the most efficient baseball in Williamsport and has a seemingly unending stable of arms on the roster. If the starting pitcher struggles even in the slightest, the coaching staff can simply replace him with a player of equal or even greater talent.

Look for a close ballgame early before Japan pulls away late.

Final Score Prediction: Japan 5, Panama 2