Little League World Series 2015: Tuesday Scores, Bracket Results and Highlights
The 2015 Little League World Series field continues to shrink by the day, with Tuesday seeing two more teams sent home and a consolation game for bragging rights.
Tuesday's tripleheader from Williamsport, Pennsylvania, features four clubs that have looked like legitimate championship contenders at one point or another in this event.
For example, Southern California had been riding a wave of offensive momentum with five consecutive games of at least 11 runs scored before Texas held the lineup to four runs Sunday. Asia-Pacific has outscored its last two opponents 21-4 after losing its opening game.
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Given the quality of teams in action and facing elimination, the drama and intensity are going to be high. The rush of adrenaline for the winners will be off the charts when learning they're sticking around for at least one more day.
Tuesday Scores
| Missouri (Midwest) vs. Canada | Missouri def. Canada, 18-6 |
| Asia-Pacific vs. Mexico | Mexico def. Asia-Pacific, 11-1 |
| California (West) vs. Kentucky (Great Lakes) | California def. Kentucky, 11-3 |
Recap
Mexico def. Asia-Pacific, 11-1
Mexico scored at least one run in each of the first three innings, followed by a three-run outburst in the bottom of the fifth inning to get an 11-1 mercy-rule victory over Asia-Pacific.
Raul Leon was the offensive star for Mexico, going 3-for-3 with a home run, five RBI and one run scored. His three-run blast in the bottom of the first inning opened the scoring, which didn't let up until the game's final pitch.
Andres Villa and Ernesto Rios secured the win with back-to-back homers in the bottom of the fifth.
Not to be overlooked in the offensive barrage was Mexico starter Armando Verdugo. The right-hander pitched a complete-game, allowing one run on six hits with six strikeouts and no walks.
The win keeps Mexico alive in the Little League World Series, setting up another win-or-go-home showdown Thursday with the loser of Wednesday's Latin America-Japan matchup.
Japan already holds a win over Mexico in Williamsport, a 3-1 pitching duel on August 23, which seems to have kick-started the team's recent two-game stretch. Going back to Monday's win over Australia, Mexico has outscored its last two opponents by a combined score of 25-4.
Missouri def. Canada, 18-6
In the second consolation game of this year's Little League World Series, Missouri was able to salvage its tournament with an 18-6 victory over Canada.
Missouri's offense had been held to three total runs in two losses but eclipsed that number in three different innings Tuesday. Canada held a 1-0 lead after the first inning, but the Midwest Region champions responded with five in the top of the third.
The game got out of hand in the last two innings, when Missouri scored a total of 13 runs, with Devrin Weathers and Jaystin Smith each hitting a two-run homer. Still, Canada put together a rally in the bottom of the fifth inning when it was a 9-2 game, scoring two runs and loading the bases before Cole Gayman struck out Kole Turner.
Weathers was Missouri's starting pitcher in the game, cruising through four innings with six strikeouts and two runs allowed before Canada started hitting him hard in the fifth, at which point Gayman came into the game.
Missouri's youngsters may not have advanced as far as they would have liked, but the memory of winning a game at the Little League World Series will be a positive takeaway for these kids.
British Columbia didn't look bad in this tournament—its 1-0 loss against Mexico on August 21 was among the most dramatic in Williamsport—but was unable to put all of its skills together at the right time.
The Canadians still managed to win their regional, getting an experience few other kids their age will ever know. Both teams were playing for pride and left it all on the field, which exemplifies everything Little League Baseball stands for, regardless of who won or lost.
California def. Kentucky, 11-3
California kept its Little League World Series hopes alive with an 11-3 victory Tuesday night that eliminated Kentucky from title contention.
California's offense got busy early with a three-run first inning, but a two-run home run off the bat of Levi Mendez gave the Little Leaguers from Sweetwater Valley a five-run cushion through two innings.
At the time of the blast, Baseball Tonight's Twitter account provided a look at California's prolific power:
"California has scored 26 of its 33 runs this tournament by way of long ball. California leads Kentucky, 5-0. #LLWS pic.twitter.com/aFbVb8TDD1
— Baseball Tonight (@BBTN) August 26, 2015"
Kentucky threatened in the fourth inning with runners on first and third with two outs, and an RBI single up the middle from Devin Obee proceeded to end California's shutout.
However, it wasn't enough.
While Kentucky's Eli Burwash settled down in a major way by striking out four straight batters on 12 pitches during a stretch that spanned the third and fourth innings, he allowed a solo shot to Antonio Andrade that extended California's lead to four.
But despite walking away with the loss, Burwash was tremendous on the bump. Over the course of 5.2 innings, the youngster struck out 10 batters while recording a strike rate of 75 percent.
After surviving Burwash's brilliance, California is slated to square off against the loser of Wednesday's Texas-Pennsylvania clash (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) for the right to play in the U.S. championship game.
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