Little League World Series 2013: Analyzing United States Championship Semifinal

The Little League World Series is roaring toward its conclusion as the International Championship game is set between familiar foes Mexico and Japan. 

The United States Championship semifinal matchup between Northwest and New England has yet to take place due to rain forcing a stoppage in play in the International semifinal on Thursday, which resulted in the United States semifinal to be delayed until Friday. 

With Chula Vista, Calif., from the West division waiting in the wings with its championship status sealed, the battle between Northwest (Sammamish, Wash.) and New England (Westport, Conn.) has garnered even more anticipation after a prolonged wait. 

Time: Aug. 23, 3 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: Watch ESPN

Note: Statistics and results are courtesy of LittleLeague.org.

What's in Store 

The New England and Northwest divisions are familiar with each other after Westport defeated Sammamish, 9-7, in game No. 14 of the tournament. 

Sammamish bounced back to reach the semifinals by downing both the Midwest and Southeast divisions by identical 6-5 scores. Westport would already be in the final had it not lost in the ninth inning to Chula Vista, 6-3, to snap its 20-game winning streak. 

This semifinals battle for the right to face California will be a war of momentum. As witnessed the last time these two teams met, momentum is everything—Sammamish scored six unanswered runs after falling into a major hole, but its comeback attempt fell short. 

New England has more firepower to work with than Northwest, but it can be less consistent. Matt Brown is the name to watch after he hit a three-run home run against California's star pitcher Grant Holman. The problem is that was the only offensive production of the night for New England, highlighting its consistency woes. 

Northwest is armed to the teeth with offensive firepower, but not in a conventional sense. The team plays a very effective version of small ball in which it does not rely on home runs for production. The youngsters scored six runs in the third inning of a victory over Southwest without hitting a ball out of the park. 

Prediction 

The hype for this matchup has reached a fever pitch with both teams being forced to wait another day, making it feel like the buildup for the championship rather than just a semifinal game.

Expect some fireworks between the two teams. Northwest has a scrappy way of scoring runs via small ball, but New England has some quality pitching thanks to star righty Chad Knight. 

New England can score in bunches, like fans have seen in the past, especially with the bat of Brown. Paired with quality pitching from its staff, New England should be able to hold off Northwest again, provided the New England can take an early lead and hold onto its momentum. 

Final score: New England 8, Northwest 5

Follow B/R's Chris Roling on Twitter for more news and analysis @Chris_Roling