Little League World Series 2015: Monday Scores, Bracket Results and Highlights

Five more games were on tap in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, on Monday, as the Little League World Series continued. Below, we'll break down the day's consolation game and four elimination games, analyzing the scores and the highlights from the day's action.  

Team 1	Score	Team 2
Oregon	3-7	Dominican Republic
Mexico	14-3	Australia
South Carolina	3-4	Kentucky
Chinese Taipei	5-0	Uganda
California	10-3	Rhode Island

Kentucky Beats South Carolina, 4-3

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Maddox Burr's RBI single in the bottom of the fifth was the difference for Kentucky, as the team survived a close call against South Carolina, 4-3.

Ty Bryant was solid on the mound for Kentucky, giving up three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out five in five innings, while Eli Burwash got the save after striking out two in the top of the sixth.

Braden Golinski did everything he could to power his team past Kentucky, finishing 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI, though his side came up just short.

It was the second heartbreaking loss for South Carolina in as many days, as the team scored four runs in the top of the sixth inning Sunday to take an 8-6 lead on Pennsylvania—after also rallying from an earlier 6-0 deficit— only to give up three runs in the bottom of the inning to lose an epic back-and-forth contest. 

Those two losses ended South Carolina's tournament, while Kentucky will next play Tuesday against California.

Mexico Beats Australia, 14-3

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

Mexico scored nine runs in the top of the first and never looked back, finishing things off early in just four innings against Australia, 14-3.

Jorge Armenta paced the Mexican onslaught, finishing 3-for-3 with a home run, four RBI and three runs scored on the day, while Damian Garcia added a home run and two RBI on the afternoon. Hector Sanchez and Jordan Solorio combined to give up three runs on six hits and a walk while striking out five.

Blake Cavill was a bright spot for Australia, finishing with two hits and an RBI.

The Australians looked as though they would regroup after Mexico blitzed them with nine runs in the top of the first, scoring two in the bottom of the inning. But the Mexicans had too much firepower on the day, pushing across two runs in the second and third innings and one run in the fourth to trigger the 10-run rule.

Dominican Republic Beats Oregon, 7-3

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Emmanuel Rodriguez was determined to send the Dominican Republic home on a positive note—and boy, did he ever.

The leadoff hitter was impossible to get out Monday, finishing 4-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI and three runs scored to lead the Dominican Republic to a 7-3 win in the day's only consolation game. Every time Oregon made a push to trim the lead, Rodriguez seemed to have an answer.

His home run in the bottom of the first gave his team an early lead, though Samuel Stuhr's RBI double in the top of the second tied things back up. The Dominicans blew the game open in the bottom of the second, however, pushing across four runs.

Oregon looked as though it might battle back in the top of the fourth, as Nolan Miga's solo homer and Stuhr's second RBI on the day on a single pulled the team within two. But the Dominicans pushed two more across, and Oregon couldn't solve Alex Martinez, who pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless ball in relief of starter Jose Marte, striking out six and giving up just three hits.

Martinez went 3.2 innings in the start, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk while striking out three and earning the win. Jackson Farr took the loss, giving up six hits and four runs in 1.2 innings of work.

Meanwhile, in a reminder of what Little League is all about, Oregon head coach Matt Bevacqua tried to loosen up his son Barrett Bevacqua on the mound after he faced early struggles, per Little League on Twitter:

Ultimately, the game was a consolation contest, and both teams showed excellent sportsmanship throughout, with the entire Oregon infield slapping five with Rodriguez as he rounded the bases in the bottom of the fifth after he hit his second home run.

Sometimes, all you can do is tip your cap and say, "Job well done."

Chinese Taipei Beats Uganda, 5-0

There is nothing in baseball quite as unbeatable as a dominant performance from the starting pitcher, regardless of the level of competition.

Wei Hung Chou proved that Monday as he led Chinese Taipei to a 5-0 victory over Uganda with six shutout innings. It wasn’t just the zero in the runs column that stood out but also the way Chou performed. He fanned 14 batters, many with a nasty curveball, and allowed only a single hit (to Francis Alemo) the entire game. 

Baseball Tonight passed along the scene in the aftermath:

"

Wei Hung Chou dominates with 14 K as Chinese Taipei beats Uganda, 5-0. Chinese Taipei will face Mexico tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/bqh6IHjZnz

— Baseball Tonight (@BBTN) August 24, 2015"

It was a redemptive performance for Chou because he struggled in his last outing against Japan, as Ben Brigandi of the Williamsport Sun-Gazette noted:

Chou wasn’t content dominating on the mound. He also helped his team score three runs in the first inning with an RBI double. He finished with two hits in three at-bats, an RBI and two runs scored and was clearly the best player on the field Monday.

Chinese Taipei added some insurance in the fifth inning with two more runs. Wei Lun Wang notched two critical RBI, but it was more than enough for Chou on the mound.

Chinese Taipei faces Mexico on Tuesday.

California Beats Rhode Island, 10-3

All it took was two clutch innings for California to put away Rhode Island, 10-3.

California found itself behind 2-0 in the early going but pushed six runs across in the third inning. Nate Nankil and Walker Lannom both notched RBI hits, but the most important moment of the game came when Jacob Baptista drilled a grand slam to put California up for good.

Baptista ended up with two hits in four at-bats, but his grand slam was all California needed Monday. 

California added some insurance in the final inning with four runs behind homers from Lannom and Dante Schmid. In all, the victors hit three home runs on the day, which was business as usual, as ESPN Stats & Info pointed out:

Rhode Island seized the initial momentum with two runs in the first inning. Caleb Harris drilled a leadoff home run, and Cam Adamec drove in another run, but California pitcher Levi Mendez eventually settled down. 

Mendez pitched a complete game and issued only four hits to go along with his 11 strikeouts.