Little League World Series 2015: Friday Scores, Bracket Results and Highlights
After rain wiped out the opening day of play at the 2015 Little League World Series on Thursday, all 16 teams from across the United States and the globe competed in the opening round Friday.
The annual action in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, is always highly anticipated by baseball fans, but there was even more excitement surrounding the start of the tournament than usual Friday thanks to the added day of buildup.
Both brackets this year feature a great deal of talent and parity, and that has been on full display already throughout the first slate of games.
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Here is a look at the action that has gone down thus far in Williamsport, and don't forget to check back as more results become available.
Friday's LLWS Scores
| 10 a.m. | Uganda (Europe-Africa) | Dominican Republic (Caribbean) | 4-1, Uganda |
| 11 a.m. | Texas (Southwest) | Oregon (Northwest) | 1-0, Texas |
| 1 p.m. | Venezuela (Latin America) | Australia | 5-2, Venezuela |
| 2 p.m. | Kentucky (Great Lakes) | California (West) | 14-2, California |
| 4 p.m. | Canada | Mexico | 1-0 Mexico |
| 5 p.m. | South Carolina (Southeast) | Rhode Island (New England) | 7-1 South Carolina |
| 7 p.m. | Chinese Taipei (Asia-Pacific) | Japan | 7-5 Japan |
| 8 p.m. | Pennsylvania (Mid-Atlantic) | Missouri (Mid-West) | 18-0 Pennsylvania |
LLWS Bracket Results
Fans can view the 2015 Little League World Series bracket at LLBWS.org.
Friday's LLWS Recap
Uganda 4, Dominican Republic 1
The 2015 Little League World Series kicked off in exciting fashion as Uganda made its second-ever appearance at the LLWS against a Dominican Republic team that returned for the first time since 1996.
While Uganda can't compare to the Dominican Republic in terms of baseball tradition, that didn't stop the Europe-Africa representatives from coming out of the gates hot against the team from the Caribbean.
Uganda jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning as Joshua Olara stole third base and then scored on a throwing error by the catcher. That lead quickly ballooned to 4-0 in the third as Francis Alemo drove in a pair with a double and then came around to score.
At that point, Chris Masse of the Williamsport Sun-Gazette analyzed the potential of Uganda potentially making some noise at the Little League World Series:
There were higher hopes for the Ugandans entering this tournament than there were for their debut in 2012 as they steamrolled through the qualifying phase to make it to Williamsport.
According to ESPN.com's Steve Wulf, Joy Foley—who started the Alanyi Lions Little League program in Uganda two years ago—believes the emergence of baseball in Uganda has been huge for the country:
"It has impacted immensely the community by bringing people closer together—there are no TVs, so I will be keeping the players and coaches updated by phone."
Although the Dominicans were able to get on the board in the bottom of the third by virtue of an error from Alemo on the mound, they were unable to mount any additional offense, which gave Uganda the 4-1 victory.
Little League's official Twitter account provided a photo of the winning celebration:
Alemo was undoubtedly the star of the game, as he allowed just one hit and an unearned run to go along with seven strikeouts in four innings. He also helped his own cause with a pair of RBI.
The Dominican Republic received a strong pitching performance as well, with Yaniel Arias fanning 13 in 4.2 innings, but his two earned runs and four runs allowed overall were too much for his teammates to overcome.
Uganda is now in an ideal position to make a run in Williamsport as it will enter the winner's bracket, while the Dominican Republic's back is firmly against the wall.
Texas 1, Oregon 0
The initial American matchup of the LLWS pitted two teams that dominated during the regional round against each other in the form of the Southwest's Pearland, Texas, and the Northwest's Portland, Oregon.
This tilt was a pitchers' duel in every sense of the term, as Texas starter Jarrett Tadlock and Oregon hurler Dylan MacLean were both dominant.
Neither team could muster so much as a bit of contact through the first couple of innings thanks to how locked in the pitchers were. According to Masse, the strikeout parade to start the game was unlike anything he had ever witnessed:
The pitchers stymied both lineups through three innings of play, which reminded Masse of a similar game in Williamsport from 13 years prior:
Although it seemed like neither team would ever hit a ball out of the infield—so much as score a run—Texas leadoff hitter Isaac Garcia changed that with one swing of the bat in the top of the fourth inning by cranking a solo home run to center field.
That was all the run support Tadlock would need, as he threw 4.1 innings of one-hit ball with eight strikeouts before Garcia recorded the final five outs for the Southwest.
On the heels of Pearland's big victory, the Houston Astros offered some encouragement on Twitter:
MacLean was arguably as good or better than Tadlock, allowing only one hit and one walk along with 12 punch-outs in 5.2 innings, but a single mistake cost him in the end.
This is the second consecutive year Pearland has qualified for the Little League World Series, and although it was eliminated disappointingly in the third round last year, it has the look of a potential championship team in 2015.
Provided Tadlock, Garcia and the rest of Texas' pitchers can continue to overpower opposing lineups like they did Friday, the Southwest representative may be the team to beat on the American side.
Venezuela 5, Australia 2
Venezuela and Australia were dead even through five innings and seemed destined for extra innings, but the Latin American side ultimately prevailed thanks to Yeiner Fernandez's clutch three-run homer in the top of the sixth inning.
Fernandez went deep with two outs, and that proved to be the difference as he then took the mound to close things out in the bottom of the sixth.
The Aussies were in line for a potential upset early on as they took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Venezuela seized the advantage with two runs in the third inning, however, by virtue of an Australian error.
Despite Venezuela's two runs, Australia starter Blake Cavill was pitching extremely well through three innings. ESPN's Robert Flores felt as though he looked like a man amongst boys:
As pointed out by Ben Brigandi of the Williamsport Sun-Gazette, though, his pitch count became an issue as he was nearly at the 85-pitch limit through three:
Cavill was lifted at 3.2 innings with 10 strikeouts to his credit, after which Australia tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning.
The Aussies' comeback would be all for naught, however, as Jake Burns allowed the three-run home run in the sixth. While Cavill pitched great, the fact that he had to exit the game was early ended up being Australia's undoing.
Also, Venezuela was aided by the fact that Johan Garcia held his own to the tune of two hits and two runs allowed in four innings, while striking out eight.
The Venezuelans entered the tournament as a potential dark horse to make a run through the international bracket. They preserved that status Friday, but it came at the expense of Australia having to navigate a difficult road the rest of the way.
California 14, Kentucky 2
If you are a fan of the long-ball, then California is your favorite team to watch at the Little League World Series. The American representatives from the West hit six home runs on Friday afternoon against Kentucky in a 14-2 victory.
Already holding a 3-0 lead going into the third inning, California's bats went ballistic, launching five home runs, including a grand slam from Ariel Armas that helped them plate 11 runs in the frame.
Their home run output in the third tied a Little League World Series record for most in a single inning with the Dominican Republic team of 1992 as Mitch Rupert of the Williamsport Sun-Gazette looked on:
Kentucky tried to battle back and prevent the 10-run rule from ending the game after the fourth, but they fell short, scoring two of the five runs they needed to continue.
Pitcher Dante Schmid not only held Kentucky to just two hits in 3.1 innings pitched, he was also one of the players to go deep on Friday, launching a three-run home run in the bottom of the second inning to give California their initial lead.
With a high-octane offense like the one California possesses, it's safe to say that they are going to be a favorite in this tournament.
Mexico 1, Canada 0
California's offense would be a tough act to follow in the day's next game, but Canada's Matt Wilkinson managed to do just that, striking out 16 batters in five innings on Friday. But there's no "I" in team, as his team lost 1-0 to Mexico.
A lead-off triple by Raul Leon in the bottom of the sixth set the stage for Wilkinson's counterpart, Daniel Zaragoza, to strike a single to left field to win the game in walk-off fashion.
Zaragoza's heroics were not just limited in the batter's box as he struck out 10 batters in five innings. Both starting pitchers were dealing from the get-go with Zaragoza bringing a big, looping curveball that struck out seven of the first nine batters he faced. But Wilkinson was downright unhittable.
Using pure power on pitches that reached up to 75 mph, Sportscenter watched in awe as Wilkinson was mowing Mexico down:
Wilkinson almost unraveled in the fourth, giving up two hits and plunking a batter in the toe to load the bases. With a 3-1 count to Jose Reyes, he was in quite the jam. But like he did with his 11 prior outs, Wilkinson battled back and struck Reyes out, his 12th of the day.
While Zaragoza was still just as impossible to breakdown, Wilkinson continued to steal the show, striking out four in the fifth. That's right, four, after his 15th was dropped, allowing Ernesto Rios to reach first base.
By Little League pitching limit rules, he had to make way for another arm, as Alen Sugimoto could not stop Mexico in the bottom of the sixth inning.
South Carolina 7, Rhode Island 1
Alex Edmondson did it all for South Carolina, throwing a no-hitter and striking out 15 in six innings while also going 3-3 with a home run and three RBI in his team's 7-1 win over Rhode Island.
It was a steady offensive attack from the South Carolina team, scoring runs in five of six innings, never scoring more than twice in a single frame.
Terrance Gist provided the highlight of the night, launching a mammoth home run that was estimated to go about 380 feet. What made the moment even better was that his family was being interviewed by ESPN's Baseball Tonight:
"Timing is everything. South Carolina's Terrence Gist hits a MONSTER home run while his family is interviewed. #LLWS http://t.co/Kr3JRraV5J
— Baseball Tonight (@BBTN) August 21, 2015"
Despite being no-hit, New England managed to score a run, which came in the bottom of the first inning.
After a walk, two wild pitches moved David Marchetti to third and he scored on a dropped third strike in which the batter was thrown out at first.
Japan 7, Chinese Taipei (Asia-Pacific) 5
Japan had to stave off a late Chinese Taipei comeback attempt to come away with a two-run victory on Friday night. They were impressing even before the game started, as ESPN's Dave Flemming looked on:
Sure, the fielding might have been a sight to behold, but it was Japan's version of the smash brothers that got things going early as twins Shingo and Kengo Tomita homered in the bottom of the first inning to put their team up 2-0.
Four runs in the second looked to have Japan in the clear for their first game, but Chinese Taipei began chipping away with two runs in the third and another in the fifth.
Kengo Tomita's second home run of the game added a little more insurance for Japan and they needed it.
In the bottom of the sixth, Yen Cheng Yu launched a two-run homer to bring the trailing side within two, but could not find a way to find any more.
Pennsylvania 18, Missouri 0
It seems Pennsylvania wanted to make sure everyone knew that California was not the only dangerous offense in the Little League World Series.
Cole Wagner had the biggest day for Pennsylvania, hitting two home runs in the second inning alone on his way to a 4-4 day in which he batted in five runs.
After scoring 10 runs in the second inning, Wagner led off the third with a solo home run and then topped off the inning nine batters later with a grand slam.
One of the reasons why the Little League World Series is so beloved is due to the innocence and sportsmanship from these kids, and despite giving up Wagner's grand slam, even pitcher Mekhi Garrard looked to have appreciated the shot, as shown by tennis player Artie Beavis:
Pennsylvania took their foot off the pedal in the next inning as they get their first win of the tournament thanks to the 10-run mercy rule.
Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.
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