Little League World Series 2016: US, International Bracket, Schedule, Prediction
The end is in sight for the four teams remaining in the Little League World Series.
The finals in both the United States and International brackets are scheduled for Saturday, and the winners of those two games will meet in the Little League World Series championship game Sunday afternoon.
On the world side of the bracket, powerful South Korea will meet undefeated Panama at 12:30 p.m. ET. When those two teams met earlier in the Little League World Series, the Asia-Pacific representative took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning and appeared to be close to a win. However, the Latin American representatives fought back on Esmith Pineda's three-run home run with two outs in the inning.
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Pineda's blast went nearly 300 feet, according to the ESPN broadcast team, and that shot allowed Panama to win the game.
Panama may have a difficult time beating South Korea a second time. The South Koreans have been dominant on the mound throughout the tournament, beating Curacao (Caribbean) by a 3-0 score, Canada by a 10-0 margin and Mexico by a 7-0 score.
It is difficult to score against South Korea, and Panama will need to play another sharp game if it is going to advance to the Little League World Series title game.
| International | Asia-Pacific vs. Latin America | 12:30 p.m. | ABC | Asia-Pacific |
| United States | Mid-Atlantic vs. Southeast | 3:30 p.m. | ABC | Southeast |
On the American side, undefeated Endwell, New York, the Mid-Atlantic representative, will take on Goodlettsville, Tennessee.
Endwell came into the tournament with solid pitching and good defense, but the New York team was struggling with the bats. That has turned around in this tournament, and never more so than in its last game against Bowling Green, Kentucky.
The New York team outlasted its Great Lakes opponent by a 13-10 score, and it was led by Jude Abbadessa. The Endwell hitting star went 5-for-5 with a home run and two doubles in that game.
Goodlettsville earned its spot in the U.S. final with an 8-4 victory over Great Lakes. The Southeast representative was trailing 4-2 in the fourth inning, but Zach McWilliams turned that around with one swing, belting a grand slam over the center field fence.
Prior to the McWilliams blast, Great Lakes intentionally walked the previous batter, and that did not go unnoticed in the Goodlettsville dugout.
"Coach [Jerry Hale] told me, 'What are you going to do about that?'" McWilliams told Tom Robinson of the Tennesseean. "He said, 'They think you're an easy out. They're loading the bases for you. They want to pitch to you.'"
Goodlettsville and Endwell met earlier in the tournament, and Endwell came away with a well-played 3-1 victory. Ryan Harlost knocked in two runs for Endwell in the victory.
Prediction
Give Panama full credit for its victory over South Korea earlier in the tournament, and expect the Latin American team to play its best game in the International title game. However, South Korea is just too strong and is dominant on the mound. Look for South Korea to win the International bracket and get to the Little League World Series championship game.
Endwell has been quite sharp throughout its journey in this tournament. Abbadessa has shown an ability to come up with big hits, and he is red-hot coming into the final. However, Goodlettsville has been resilient and has shown a talent for coming from behind.
Look for Goodlettsville to show off that talent once again and win the American bracket over the hard-trying team from New York.
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