Sports

Little League

Californian ties record with 18 Ks

Associated Press
Published August 21, 2005

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SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - Kalen Pimentel tied a Little League World Series record for a regulation, six-inning game with 18 strikeouts to lead Rancho Bueno Vista of Vista, Calif., to a 7-2 victory over Owensboro (Ky.) Southern on Saturday.

"It took me a couple of innings to get adjusted, and I started to get in a groove about the fourth inning," Pimentel said. "My fastball and curve were really working well."

The feat was last accomplished in 1979 by Chao-An Chen of the Pu-Tzu Town team from Taiwan.

Nathan Lewis had three hits including a home run for Rancho Bueno Vista (1-0), the West Region champion, and Luke Daugherty homered for Owensboro Southern (0-1), the Great Lakes winner.

Pimentel's pitching highlighted the busiest day of the 10-day tournament - six games in two stadiums all scheduled to start within a nine-hour span.

LAFAYETTE 3, WESTBROOK 2: Connor Toups provided the big hit for the boys from Louisiana, singling to left past a drawn-in infield that scored two runs to cap a rally. "I went up there looking to get a hit. He threw me a fastball," said Toups, who at 4-foot-10 and 78 pounds is one of the smallest boys on Lafayette (1-0), the Southwest champs. "It felt good." Westbrook starter Ryan Murphy held Lafayette scoreless until the sixth when Murphy failed to retire a batter.

CURACAO 5, VENEZUELA 4 (8): Rudmichaell Brandao raced home on a sacrifice fly to score the go-ahead run to give Willemstad, Curacao (1-0) the win over Valencia, Venezuela (0-1) in the first extra-inning game of this year's series. With the bases loaded and one out, Sorick Liberia hit a fly ball to centerfield. Brandao took off after the catch, and the throw appeared to arrive at home plate at the same time but it bounced away from the catcher.

JAPAN 3, SAUDI ARABIA 0: Takuya Sakamoto threw a two-hitter and started a decisive three-run third inning with a double. Sakamoto struck out 11 in going all the way for Chiba City (1-0), the Asia champion. Alexander Robinett struck out six and allowed six hits for Dhahran (0-1), the Transatlantic champion.

CANADA 2, MEXICO 0: Chris Fischer had four strikeouts and tossed a two-hit shutout to lift Surrey, British Columbia, the Canadian champs, over Seguro Social of Mexicali of the Mexico Region. Canada (1-0) scored both runs after loading the bases in the second inning. Nathan de la Feraude had a run-scoring single to left before Tanner Morache hit a sacrifice fly to drive in the second run.

[Last modified August 21, 2005, 00:51:14]

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