Little League World Series: Florida, Venezuela advance

[ad_1]

The Little League World Series continued on Thursday with a couple of fantastic games.

The first game featured Japan, who was looking to bounce back from a loss to Chinese Taipei, but fell to Venezuela 3-2. Venezuela will face Chinese Taipei in the international championship game on Saturday.

The T-Mobile Little League Home Run Derby took place between Thursday's games. It allowed the top players to step onto the field and swing like the professional players they admire. This special opportunity allows kids from all over the country to represent their community on the biggest stage in Little League.

According to Little League, the home run derby "is set to take place at Volunteer Stadium on Thursday, August 22, at 5 p.m. ET and will then be aired on ESPN2 on Friday, August 23, at 7 p.m. ET."

Follow live for all the Little League World Series action on Thursday, Aug. 23.

2024 Little League World Series: Results, schedules, how to watch and stream

Florida is set for a rematch with Texas following their win over Nevada in the U.S. semifinals. Teraj Alexander was excellent on the mound for Florida, not allowing a single run through 3.2 innings of work. He was removed with two outs left in the bottom of the sixth after surrendering a base hit to Caleb Gomez.

JJ Feliciano came in to finish Nevada off. With the tying run at the plate, Feliciano got Russell McGee to fly out to Liam Morrissey in center.

The U.S. championship game is set for Saturday, August 24.

Feliciano hit his second home run of the LLWS earlier in this game, but his teammate Rohozen was not to be outdone. With one out in the top of the sixth, Rohozen drilled the first pitch he saw beyond the left field wall. Florida now leads 6-3.

Teraj Alexander has been untouchable since coming into the game. The bottom of the fifth inning was no different. Alexander, who has been one of the most likable players in the tournament, dominated Nevada in a three-up, three-down inning. Heading into the sixth, Florida leads 5-3.

There isn't much time for Nevada to comeback against Florida. With only six outs to work with, Nevada pitcher Russell McGee has had to be lights out. In the fifth, he was, surrendering just one baserunner and striking out two hitters. Heading into the bottom of the fifth, it's 5-3 Florida.

The fourth inning got off to a less-than-optimal start for Florida pitcher Teraj Alexander, after he took a comebacker off the leg and made an errant throw to first, allowing the Nevada runner to reach second. Alexander was noticeably shaken up after that hit, but that didn't stop him from going three-up, three-down afterwards. Florida maintains their 5-3 lead heading into the fifth.

Florida nearly tacked on another run after Landon Bono launched a deep fly ball to right field. Fortunately for Nevada, right fielder Dominic Laino was there to snag the ball just before it got over the wall. Florida's lead remains 5-3 heading into the bottom of the third.

JJ Feliciano has been one of Florida's best players throughout the LLWS, and he delivered in a big way for his team in the top of the third. Feliciano drilled his second home run of the tournament to give Florida a 5-3 lead with only one out in the top of the third.

After rocky first innings for both starting pitchers, each of them calmed down and delivered tremendous second innings for their teams. It remains 4-3 Florida heading into the top of the third.

An uncommon error from Florida third baseman Garrett Rohozen gave Nevada their second run. Rohozen was gifted a textbook double play ball, but it skipped under his glove and into the outfield.

Nevada's Parker Soronaka would deliver a sac fly one pitch later. It's 4-3 Florida with one out in the bottom of the first.

After loading the bases with no outs, mirroring what Florida was able to accomplish in the top of the first, Oliver Johnson drove in Nevada's first runs on a check swing.

The ball blooped over the shortstop's head into shallow left field. The runner on second rounded third, but ultimately went back to the base.

After a rocky top of the first, Nevada has answered back quickly. With Russell McGee delivering a double down the left field line. Two batters in and Nevada has runners on second and third with no outs with Wyatt Erickson up at the plate.

The change to Russell McGee did not help ease Nevada's woes. McGee surrendered two consecutive singles to right field. DJ Mieses and Landon Bono drove in everyone that was on base when McGee came in, making it 3-0, but Florida wasn't done.

Jacob Bibaub would drive Bono home with a single to left. We haven't seen a single out in this game and already Florida leads 4-0.

Nevada's starting pitcher could not find his stuff today and allowed each of Florida's first three baserunners to reach base via walk. In fact, not a single Florida batter even swung the bat and all three reached base.

Nevada has opted to go with Russell McGee to hold down the fort and limit Florida's damage.

The LLWS Home Run Derby started at 5 p.m. ET with eight contestants from this year's tournament competing for the crown. The full list of contestants can be found here.

Unfortunately, although the event took place today, the event will not be aired until tomorrow, August 23 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The reason for the delay is that there will be no LLWS games played tomorrow. Fans looking to get more LLWS action can watch the Home Run Derby when no other games are being played.

Nevada has played just three games to reach this point. Florida, meanwhile, has had a much harder path. After winning their first two games by a combined score of 8-2, Florida would run in to powerhouse Texas who defeated Florida 4-1. That put Florida in the loser's bracket, where they'd have to take down New York and Hawaii to stay alive in the tournament. All that has put them in position to get a rematch against Texas should they win tonight.

Nevada has been one of the biggest surprises in this year's tournament, and they've reached this point with remarkable pitching. This team has scored more than three runs only once this whole tournament, but they've yet to surrender more than five.

This team started the tournament with their biggest win, defeating the New York team 9-1. Game 2 was much tougher as Hawaii gave Nevada everything they could handle as Nevada barely won 3-2. In their most recent game though, Texas was able to get to Nevada's pitching winning 5-2.

With the LLWS winding down, there are fewer games for us to enjoy each day. The only other game on tap for today is the U.S. semifinals between Nevada and Florida. Florida has won two straight games in the loser's bracket and looks to advance to the U.S. finals against Texas. Meanwhile, Nevada just suffered their first loss of the tournament to none other than Texas and hopes to face them in a rematch scheduled for Saturday.

The game between Nevada and Florida is set for 7 p.m. ET tonight.

Venezuela holds off Japan just enough to defeat them 3-2 and advance to the International Championship where they will face Chinese Taipei on Saturday.

Japan's strong defense has been the theme every time they take the field. They did it once again by holding off Venezuela scoreless in the top of the sixth. Japan needs one run to tie and two runs to win.

Venezuela follows Japan's lead and swiftly dismisses Japan's batters in the bottom of the fifth without tying the score. Venezuela is ahead 3-2 going into the sixth.

Japan maintains defensive momentum and prevents Venezuela from scoring in the top of the fifth inning.

After being hit by a pitch, a Japanese player reaches first base. The next batter hits a ball to the outfield, landing between the center and right fielders, and records a double. Japan scored after a bases-loaded walk, which helped them get back into the game.

An infield single gets Japan a second run to make it 3-2, heading to the top of the fifth.

Venezuela gained momentum with back-to-back triples and scored three runs to take the lead. They almost scored a fourth run, but Japan's right outfielder made a timely catch at the wall for the third out. Venezuela leads 3-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning.

Defense remains the highlight of the game as Japan holds Venezuela scoreless at the top of the third.

With two outs and two Japanese runners on base, Venezuela's second baseman quickly gets an infield hit and throws it to the first baseman to get the runner out, saving a run in a game where every run counts.

Japan dismisses three Venezuelan batters quickly to end the top of the second inning. Japan is up to bat in the bottom of the second inning.

Japan was able to get some players on base, but a mistake by the final batter, who mistook a strike for a ball, led to the players on base attempting to advance. A throw to third base resulted in Venezuela getting their third out.

Japan enters the game with determination after losing to Chinese Taipei the day before. They quickly dismiss three consecutive Venezuela batters in the top of the first inning.

2024 Little League World Series: Time, TV, streaming and how to watch All 39 games of the Little League World Series will be broadcast on one of ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC, with streaming options including ESPN+, the ESPN app and Fubo, which offers a free trial. Coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET.

HOW TO WATCH: Catch the Little League World Series with a Fubo subscription

The sixth annual Little League World Series Home Run Derby will be held on August 22 at 5 p.m. ET. Tune in to ESPN2 to watch the action on Friday, August 23.

The Little League World Series Home Run Derby format is straightforward: each participant will receive 1 minute and 30 seconds to hit as many home runs as possible. Any fair balls that land over the fence in fair territory will be considered a home run. However, any balls that land on the chalk or cone line will not be counted as a home run.

All home runs must land before the next pitch is thrown. Any pitch that is thrown before the prior ball lands will not be counted as a home run. After the first round, the top 10 participants will advance to the second round.

In the second round, the 10 participants will have 1 minute and 30 seconds to hit as many home runs as possible. The batting order will be determined by the number of home runs that were hit in the first round, with the participant who hit the lowest total number of home runs batting first. The top five participants with the most total home runs will advance to the final round.

In the final round, the top five participants will each receive 1 minute and 30 seconds to hit as many home runs as possible. The batting order will be determined by the second round, with the participant having the lowest total number of home runs hitting first. At the end of the final round, the participant with the most total home runs will be crowned the T-Mobile Little League Home Run Derby Champion.

Chinese TaipeiJapanVenezuelaTexasFloridaNevada (All times in ET)

Wednesday, Aug. 14:Game 1: Mexico 2, Caribbean 0Game 2: West 3, New England 1Game 3: Asia-Pacific 8, Canada 0Game 4: Southeast 2, Midwest 1Thursday, Aug. 15:Game 5: Japan 11, Puerto Rico 0Game 6: Mountain 9, Metro 1Game 7: Cuba 4, Europe-Africa 1Game 8: Southwest 9, Mid-Atlantic 0Friday, Aug. 16:Game 9: Latin America 10, Mexico 0Game 10: West 5, Great Lakes 0Game 11: Asia-Pacific 11, Australia 0Game 12: southeast 6, Northwest 1Saturday, Aug. 17:Game 13: Canada 12, Puerto 5Game 14: Metro 6, Midwest 3Game 15: Caribbean 8, Europe-Africa 3Game 16: Mid-Atlantic 5, New England 0Sunday, Aug. 18:Game 17: Metro 4, Great Lakes 0Game 18: Mexico 8, Canada 0Game 19: Mid-Atlantic 12, Northwest 2Monday, Aug. 19:Game 20: Caribbean 11, Australia 0Game 21: Japan 2, Latin America 1Game 22: Mountain 3, West 2Game 23: Asia-Pacific 10, Cuba 2Game 24: Southwest 4, Southeast 1Tuesday, Aug. 20:Game 25: Latin America 2, Caribbean 1Game 26: West 3, Mid-Atlantic 1Game 27: Mexico 6, Cuba 4Game 28: Southeast 6, Metro 1Wednesday, Aug. 21:Game 29: Chinese Taipei 3, Japan 1Game 30: Texas 5, Nevada 2 Game 31: Mexico vs. Venezuela on ESPNGame 32: Florida vs. Hawai'i on ESPNThursday, Aug. 22:Game 33 on ESPNT-Mobile Little League Home Run DerbyGame 34 on ESPNFriday, Aug. 23:7 p.m. T-Mobile Little League Home Run Derby airing on ESPNSaturday, Aug. 24:International Championship: Chinese Taipei vs TBD on ABC at 12:30 p.m.U.S. Championship on ABC at 3:30 p.m.Sunday, Aug. 25:Consolation Game on ESPN2 at 10 a.m.World Series Championship on ABC at 3 p.m. The Little League World Series (LLWS) championship game is scheduled for Sunday, August 25th at 3 p.m. ET. The third-place consolation game is set to take place the same day at 10 a.m. ET.

The international and U.S. championship games, serving as the semifinals to Sunday's championship game, will take place on Saturday, August 24 at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. ET.

The Little League World Series is divided into two brackets: the United States bracket and the international bracket. Each bracket will conduct its own individual tournament, and the winner from each bracket will face off in the championship.

The U.S. and international brackets are double-elimination brackets. This means that a team can still advance in a separate elimination bracket even after losing its first game. The winner of the elimination bracket then plays against the winner of the winners' bracket in the U.S. or international final for the opportunity to compete in the LLWS championship.

In other words, a team must be defeated twice to be eliminated from the tournament.

Thursday's action begins at 3 p.m., here's a rundown of the games including the T-Mobile Home Run Derby:

All times Eastern.

Great Lakes - Hinsdale Little League - Hinsdale, IllinoisMetro - South Shore Little League - Staten Island, New YorkMid-Atlantic - Council Rock Newtown Little League - Newtown, PennsylvaniaMidwest - Sioux Falls Little League - Sioux Falls, South DakotaMountain - Paseo Verde Little League - Henderson, NevadaNew England - Salem Little League - Salem, New HampshireNorthwest - South Hill Little League - Puyallup, WashingtonSoutheast - Lake Mary Little League - Lake Mary, FloridaSouthwest - Boerne Little League - Boerne, TexasWest - Central East Maui Little League - Wailuku, HawaiiAsia-Pacific - Kuei-Shan Little League - Taoyuan City, Chinese TaipeiAustralia - Hills Little League - Sydney, New South WalesCanada - Whalley Little League - Surrey, British ColumbiaCaribbean - Aruba Center Little League - Santa Cruz, ArubaCuba - Santa Clara Little League - Villa Clara, CubaEurope-Africa - South Czech Republic Little League - Brno, Czech RepublicJapan - Johoku Little League - Tokyo, JapanLatin America - Cardenales Little League - Barquisimeto, VenezuelaMexico - Matamoros Little League - Tamaulipas, MexicoPuerto Rico - Radames Lopez Little League - Guayama, Puerto RicoPast Little League World Series results In recent years, teams from the United States have been very successful in the Little League World Series, winning the last five championships since 2017. The most recent international team to win the tournament was Japan, who defeated Lufkin, Texas 12-2 in the 2017 final, which lasted just five innings.

List of past winners: Results date back to 2010 LLWS.

2023: El Segundo, Calif.2022: Honolulu2021: Taylor, Mich.2020: Canceled due to COVID2019: River Ridge, La.2018: Honolulu2017: Tokyo2016: Maine-Endwell, N.Y.2015: Tokyo2014: Seoul, South Korea2013: Tokyo2012: Tokyo2011: Huntington Beach, Calif.2010: TokyoLLWS bracket and schedule Here is the full 2024 LLWS bracket, courtesy of the Little League World Series:

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

[ad_1]

Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=66c956b7da1b4b00be8757fdec4d9676&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.statesman.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fmlb%2Fllws%2F2024%2F08%2F22%2Flittle-league-world-series-live-updates-highlights-thursday%2F74891970007%2F&c=904935753561409169&mkt=en-us Author : Publish date : 2024-08-21 13:00:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source .