Little League World Series 2016: Tuesday Scores, Bracket Results and Highlights
Tuesday marked another set of elimination games in the 2016 Little League World Series as the number of championship contenders in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, continues to dwindle. Only eight teams will be left standing at day's end.
The schedule also featured a consolation clash between Japan and the U.S. Southwest squad. A pair of quick losses resulted in a surprising early exit for the representatives from Tokyo, which had taken home four of the last six tournament titles.
Let's check out all of the important information for Tuesday's games, which will get updated through the conclusion of play. That's followed by a recap of the action.
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Tuesday's Schedule and Results
| Consolation | Japan vs. Southwest | 6-1 JPN |
| Elimination (International) | Canada vs. Mexico | 7-1 MEX |
| Elimination (United States) | New England vs. Midwest | 3-2 MW |
| Elimination (International) | Australia vs. Caribbean | 5 p.m. |
| Elimination (United States) | Southeast vs. West | 7:30 p.m. |
Japan vs. Southwest
Japan (Chofu Little League; Tokyo) wasn't able to collect another title, but its tournament comes to an end on a high note after scoring a 6-1 victory over Southwest (McAllister Park American Little League; Texas).
Ryota Endo pitched five strong innings for the Japanese side, giving up just four hits and one earned run while striking out three. Tatsuya Suzuki came on to close it out with a scoreless sixth.
Yujiro Moriya paced the Tokyo club's offense with three hits in four at-bats. He also drove in two runs and crossed the plate twice. Endo, in addition to his success on the mound, also had a perfect day at the plate with two hits and two walks.
Meanwhile, Britton Moore tallied two of the Southwest's five hits. Rilan Quinones drove in Blake Compton for the team's only run in a game that remained competitive until Japan finally created some breathing room with a couple runs in the sixth.
Along with the play on the field, Michael Skarka of ESPN noted some of the other tournament players got to experience the event from the announcing perspective:
Ultimately, Chofu Little League always had more talent than the first two losses showed, as evidenced by its dominant run through Japanese qualifying. At least the players finally settled in Tuesday and put together a strong all-around performance to close out their LLWS experience.
Canada vs. Mexico
Mexico (San Nicolas Little League) used a four-run outburst in the third inning to pull away from Canada (Hastings Community Little League; British Columbia) to keep its Little League World Series hopes alive for at least another day.
The Mexican pitching staff was nearly unhittable in the contest. Starter Victor Juarez pitched three no-hit innings with seven strikeouts before giving way to the bullpen. Jose Angel Leal, Gael Isaac Cortez and Luis Lauro Nuncio combined to give up just one hit over three scoreless frames.
The offense took care of the rest with seven runs on 10 hits. Leal provided the key moment, a two-run homer in the bottom of the third to jump-start Mexico's big inning. Milton Gonzalez also drove in two runs for the winning side.
RTV Canal 28 passed along a look at the celebration after the win:
Canada, which shocked Japan in its tournament opener, couldn't maintain that high level of play over its next two games. Loreto Siniscalchi had the team's only hit and run as the club struggled to build any momentum at the plate.
Mexico's margin for error remains extremely thin as it attempts to navigate the one-loss bracket. That said, those looking for the silver lining can point to the fact the team is now just three victories away from reaching the championship game.
New England vs. Midwest
Kaiden Dinh played the role of hero with a game-winning single in the bottom of the sixth as Midwest (Midwest Johnston Little League; Iowa) narrowly escaped a hard-fought battle with New England (Warwick North Little League; Rhode Island).
Iowa was blanked through the first four innings before tying the game with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Rhode Island surged back ahead courtesy of a Kenny Rix homer in the top of the final frame, but the Midwest representatives fought back once again.
Miles Risley reached on an error to start the rally and eventually scored on a Josh Larson single to level the score. One batter later, Dinh got the walk-off hit he'll likely remember forever to keep his team in the championship conversation.
Little League showcased the Midwest's jubilation afterward:
Colin Lemieux had 13 strikeouts in 5.1 innings of work for New England. DJ Sollitto had two hits for Rhode Island, while Rix brought home both runs. But in the end, the team's efforts to advance fell just two outs short.
On the flip side, the Midwest club will attempt to ride the wave of momentum through the one-loss bracket and into the United States championship game, which is just two wins away.
All game statistics courtesy of the tournament's official site.
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