Little League World Series 2013: Top Players Who Will Decide Championship Game

Winner takes all in the Little League World Series final matchup between Japan (Musashi Fuchu LL) and West (Eastlake LL) on Sunday afternoon at Howard J. Lamade Stadium in South Williamsport, Pa. 

Both teams went undefeated in their first four games leading up to this championship tilt, but one of them will go home disappointed. 

Japan edged Mexico on Saturday 3-2 to reach the final, after which the West hammered New England 12-1 in its bid to reach the championship game. 

Throughout the four games leading up to this final matchup, these two teams have proven to be polar opposites. Musashi Fuchu LL has relied on strong pitching and timely offense to reach the final, while Eastlake LL featured an explosive offense capable of putting up monster run totals on any given day. 

These upcoming players have shown themselves to be the MVPs of their respective teams. With one final game left to win, they will be counted on to continue their strong play and will likely decide the outcome.

Japan: Kazuki Ishida, P

When Musashi Fuchu LL has needed a boost during this tournament, Ishida has more often than not been the young man who has risen to the occasion.

In the team's first contest against Mexico, Ishida stepped to the plate in the fifth inning and changed the course of the game with one mighty swing, hitting a solo shot to tie the game. He'd allowed a couple of early runs as the starting pitcher, but Japan rallied to win the game 5-2 after his life-injecting home run.

For the tournament, Ishida has compiled two wins and a save and has been one of Japan's best hitters, batting .417 with two home runs, three RBI and three runs scored.

Facing the explosive team from California, Ishida will need to be sharp at the plate and on the mound, should he be called into duty in that capacity.

West: Grant Holman, P/SS

Holman has been the MVP of the tournament thus far. 

He started out the Little League World Series with a dominant performance on the mound, registering complete game no-hitter—the first one at the Little League World Series since 1979, as noted by ESPN's Chris McKendry:

He struck out 13 batters and missed a perfect game by only one walk—a dominant performance by any measure.

Since then, Holman's legend hasn't waned. He hit a grand slam in his next game, a three-run shot to win the team's third game and pitched in with another RBI in the game leading up to this final matchup against Japan.

Holman has already done enough in this tournament to cement a strong legacy, but another monster performance would make him a legendary figure for all time. 

Japan: Sho Miyao, SS

Japan has only managed to score 17 total runs in its four games leading up to this final matchup against Eastlake LL. 

Miyao has accounted for more than one-third of that total with one RBI and five runs scored. 

With an incredible batting average of .778 and an on-base percentage of .833, Miyao has been one of the toughest outs for pitchers in the tournament.

He hasn't failed to register a hit in all four games, and chances are, Miyao will be a thorn on the side of Eastlake LL pitchers in the final.

West: Nick Mora, P/IF

If not for Holman, Mora would be getting much more publicity for his performance at the Little League World Series this year. 

After a quiet outing in the team's first game, Mora has been on fire—both as a pitcher and batter.

He won both games he started, pitching 9.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs, striking out 16 batters and walking just two.

The past two games, Mora has dominated opposing pitchers, smashing three home runs and driving in six runs. 

His grandparents are unabashedly proud of him, as shown by CBS8's Matt Johnson:

No doubt, Mora will give Musashi Fuchu LL all it can handle on Sunday. 

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