Little League World Series Regionals 2015: Thursday Scores and Bracket Results
Thursday is the first major day for the Little League World Series, at least in the United States. Some teams around the world have already clinched their spot in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, but today features the first two American regional finals.
The Southeast and Southwest Regionals were won by South Carolina and Texas, respectively, but they were hardly the only games to watch. The Northwest, Midwest and Great Lakes Regionals are into the semifinals, with one game on the docket for today and Friday.
In other words, business has picked up on little league fields across the country. It's going to be a wonderfully transformative experience for the winners and a heartbreaking end for the teams that come up short.
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As far as how the results for Thursday played out, here are the scores and recaps from all the regionals.
Scores
| New England | Rhode Island vs. Massachusetts | Rhode Island def. Massachusetts, 11-4 |
| New England | Connecticut vs. Maine | Connecticut def. Maine, 15-5 |
| Northwest | Oregon vs. Washington | Oregon def. Washington, 10-6 |
| Midwest | Minnesota vs. South Dakota | Minnesota def. South Dakota, 15-7 |
| Great Lakes | Wisconsin vs. Kentucky | Wisconsin def. Kentucky, 10-0 |
| Mid-Atlantic | Pennsylvania vs. New Jersey | Pennsylvania def. New Jersey, 13-2 |
| Southeast | South Carolina vs. Virginia | South Carolina def. Virginia, 7-0 |
| Southwest | Texas vs. Colorado | Texas def. Colorado, 9-2 |
| New England | New Hampshire vs. Vermont | New Hampshire def. Vermont, 11-5 |
| West | Southern California vs. Utah | Southern California def. Utah, 11-1 |
Recap
New Hampshire def. Vermont, 11-5
Vermont's Ben Mazza-Bergeron may have been the best hitter on the field in the New England Regional, but New Hampshire was better overall to earn an 11-5 victory.
Mazza-Bergeron blasted two home runs, a double and drove in four runs in the loss. The rest of his teammates combined for four singles, while Vermont's pitching staff couldn't overcome an early 4-2 deficit after the first inning.
While Mazza-Bergeron's bat did a lot of talking, he also gave up five runs (two earned) in one inning of relief work.
For New Hampshire, T.J. Crowley provided a two-run homer in the first inning. Michael Pratte added a double and a triple in the victory.
New Hampshire has secured its spot in the New England Regional championship game on Sunday, while Vermont will await the winner of Friday's Rhode Island-Connecticut matchup to try and earn a rematch.
Texas def. Colorado, 9-2
Texas was the second U.S. team to secure its spot in the Little League World Series with an impressive 9-2 win over Colorado.
The kids from Texas scored at least one run from innings two through five, highlighted by a four-run outburst in the fourth inning that opened up a 7-2 lead. Isaac Garcia was terrific in relief, throwing 2.2 hitless innings with four strikeouts.
Carter Ostrom hit the game's only home run—a solo shot to start the scoring in that decisive fourth inning. Texas was tremendous throughout this regional, posting a perfect 4-0 record and outscoring its opponents 41-7.
Even though the competition will only get more intense from this point on, Texas has proven its loaded with talent and has a real chance to make a deep run at Williamsport.
South Carolina def. Virginia, 7-0
South Carolina became the first United States team to clinch a berth in the Little League World Series, doing so in style with Alex Edmondson throwing a no-hitter.
Even though the team is credited with a win, this was the Edmondson show, as he struck out 12 hitters and hit two home runs that accounted for five of the seven runs his team scored.
Little League's official Twitter sent out the highlights from Edmondson's memorable day:
In addition to Edmondson's historic accomplishments, South Carolina District 7 Little League noted on Twitter that South Carolina has become the first team from the state in 65 years to reach the Little League World Series.
Not a bad day all around for the little leaguers in South Carolina, though Edmondson will get all of the attention for his stellar pitching and powerful hitting.
Good luck following that.
Pennsylvania def. New Jersey, 13-2
Pennsylvania used four multi-run innings en route to a 13-2 blowout victory over New Jersey. The young stars from Pennsylvania have been on a roll with two impressive wins—they already defeated New York 11-3—and now have two days off waiting to see who their opponent will be in the Mid-Atlantic title game.
Ethan Phillips provided the fireworks for Pennsylvania's offense. He had an RBI double in the third inning and capped off a big day with a grand slam in the sixth inning.
Pennsylvania also got a strong effort from Jaden Henline out of the bullpen, tossing 3.1 innings of one-hit ball and striking out six.
New Jersey starter Jake Wendell didn't have as much luck, allowing 10 runs on 14 hits in 5.1 innings in defeat. The good news is the kids from the Garden State aren't done, as they will take on the loser of Friday's game between New York and Maryland to get a rematch against Pennsylvania.
Rhode Island def. Massachusetts, 11-4
After being held to two runs in a 3-2 loss against Connecticut, Rhode Island's bats exploded for 11 runs in an impressive victory over Massachusetts.
The Rhode Islanders were helped out by three errors from Massachusetts, leading to six unearned runs. Nick Mason had the big blast for Rhode Island, hitting a grand slam in the fourth inning to break a 4-4 tie.
Mason also had a good performance on the mound, pitching two scoreless innings in relief of starter Cam Adamec after he gave up four runs on seven hits in three innings.
Massachusetts' loss ends its run in the New England Regional, while Rhode Island will get to take on Connecticut in an elimination game on Friday.
Connecticut def. Maine, 15-5
Speaking of Connecticut, it also got a nice bounce-back win after an embarrassing loss in the opener against New Hampshire. Maine has been the New England Regional punching bag, losing two games by a combined 26-5 score.
Connecticut was happy to take advantage on Thursday, putting up 11 runs in the first inning to secure a victory even before Maine stepped into the batter's box. Maine starting pitcher Matt Rousselle didn't record an out before being taken out, with Kurtis Edgerton giving up six runs in his one inning of relief.
On a day with no offensive soft spots for Connecticut, leadoff hitter Jared Burrows was still the standout. He went 3-for-3 with one walk, one triple, one home run, two RBI and three runs scored. Getting that production from the first hitter opened up doors for everyone hitting behind him, which they took advantage of.
Oregon def. Washington, 10-6
A late rally for Washington fell short, as Oregon was able to hang on for a 10-6 win and move its record to 3-0 in the Northwest Regional.
The game looked to be an easy win for Oregon most of the way, as it was 10-1 heading into the bottom of the sixth. Things were certainly helped out by two errors, which led to all five of Washington's runs being unearned.
Turnabout is fair play, as Washington gave Oregon extra opportunities with four errors that led to four of the 10 runs allowed being unearned.
Spencer Scott provided the big fireworks for Oregon. He went 4-for-4 with two home runs, drove in three runs and scored four runs. He also closed the game on the mound, getting the final out with the bases loaded and Washington having a chance to tie things with a grand slam.
Minnesota def. South Dakota, 15-7
As ugly as things were for Oregon and Rhode Island, it paled in comparison to Minnesota and South Dakota. The two teams combined for 10 errors and 12 unearned runs, including all seven of South Dakota's runs.
Overall, the pitching wasn't bad for either side despite battling some control problems. Minnesota used four pitchers who allowed four hits, five walks and 11 strikeouts. South Dakota also used four pitchers, getting 12 strikeouts with eight hits and six walks allowed.
The win by Minnesota gives it a spot in the Midwest Regional championship game on Saturday. Despite the poor showing Thursday, South Dakota has a chance at redemption on Friday against Missouri, with the winner playing against Minnesota.
Wisconsin def. Kentucky, 10-0
Wisconsin is one win away from making history as the first team from the state to reach Williamsport after knocking off Kentucky 10-0 in four innings.
Getting off to a fast start has been a constant theme of Thursday's action, which was the case for Wisconsin after scoring five in the first inning and three more in the third. Starting pitcher Ethan Safar was masterful in a complete game, allowing three hits and four strikeouts in four innings.
Zachary Wallace provided a lot of offense to support Safar, driving in five runs. He provided the final dagger with a three-run double in the top of the fourth inning, as Kentucky was unable to respond.
This is a familiar pattern for Wisconsin, which knocked off Illinois 10-0 in the first Midwest Regional game for both teams. It did need five innings in that victory, so this is progress for the youngsters out of Burlington.
Wisconsin is in the Midwest Regional championship game on Saturday. Kentucky will get to take on Ohio Friday to determine who Wisconsin's opponent will be.
Southern California def. Utah, 11-1
The Little Leaguers from Southern California aren't messing around.
While Utah took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, Southern California scored 11 unanswered runs over the second, third and fourth innings as Levi Mendez and Nate Nankil combined to throw a no-hitter.
After tacking on a four-spot in the fourth inning, the game was called by virtue of the 10-run mercy rule.
At the plate, Southern California was led by Walker Lannom. Not only did he record a hit in each of his three at-bats, but Lannom smoked two home runs and drove in a game-high six RBI. Ariel Armas also drilled a homer.
Dante Schmidt tallied three RBI to help pace Southern California's assault on an evening when the victors notched 14 hits.
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