Little League World Series: Updates, highlights from Tuesday elimination games

2024-12-18 23:51:28 Contact

The final week of 2024 Little League World Series (LLWS) competition started off hot with five games in action on Monday. The action continues with high stakes on Tuesday – four elimination games make up the schedule on Aug. 20.

Eight teams face an end to their journeys as they play in the elimination bracket of the LLWS on Tuesday. Four teams will go home after losing their second games of the tournament, and four will advance one step closer to their respective regional finals.

All four games on Tuesday – two on the U.S. side, two on the international side – are win-or-go-home clashes. Follow along with USA TODAY's live coverage throughout the day.

LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES:2024 schedule, results, how to watch for United States bracket

Florida vs. New York: Grippo dominant in first

New York's Stephen Grippo was not messing around in the first inning. He picked up two punchouts in a three-up, three-down first inning. Nine of his ten pitches were strikes. Florida could be in for a very tough game.

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Guerrero and Hernandez trade strong innings

After a lackluster fourth from Mexico's Antonio Guerrero, Mexico needed to give their star pitcher some run support if they wanted any hope of winning. Unfortunately, Cuba's Deivy Hernandez continued to deal, taking Mexico down with ease. He's now thrown four shutout innings, surrendering just two hits.

Guerrero bounced back in the top of the fifth though, going three-up, three-down to give his team another shot at minimizing Cuba's lead. Mexico's first priority needs to be getting Hernandez out of the game. Cuba's ace has thrown just 70 pitches through four innings.

Cuba capitalizes

With Mexico's Antonio Guerrero entering the game, Cuba was going to need to take every advantage they could get. Well, the first batter that Guerrero faced, Leonardo Junco, he threw a wild pitch that reached the backstop. That scored a runner. Guerrero would go on to plunk Junco.

All of a sudden, Cuba had runners on first and third once again with only one out.

Mexico would luck out after another wild pitch took a huge bounce off the backstop to get Deivy Hernandez as he tried to come home, but Marloon Herrera would score Junco to make it 4-0.

Deivy Hernandez getting it done on both sides

On the mound, Cuba's Deivy Hernandez has been lights out, holding Mexico to no runs through three innings. Mexico has had to use three different pitchers, and even opted to go for their superstar pitcher Antonio Guerrero after Hernandez bounced a single to right field in the top of the fourth.

If Cuba wants to win this game with Guerrero on the mound, they'll need to take advantage of having runners on first and third with only one out against Guerrero. They won't get many more opportunities like this.

Cuba gets another run after strange rundown

Two outs, runners at first and third. You just knew some shenanigans were going to go down. However, something very strange happened.

As expected, the runner at first opted for a delayed steal. As soon as the throw went to second, the runner from third came home to score. That was expected. However, the runner between first and second still needed to reach base. It looked like he was going to be safe at second after a throw drilled the runner in the helmet and dribbled into the infield grass. However, Mexico was able to corral the ball and flip it to second just as the runner was diving in. The run still scored, but Mexico was able to get out of the inning.

Even the announcers said they weren't sure how to score that play.

Cuba leads 2-0 heading into the bottom of the second.

Cuba takes the lead

After a solid top of the first inning, Cuba looked to be on their way to a massive win after loading the bases with no outs in the bottom of the first. However, two straight punchouts put the burden on Yans Espinosa to bring home the runners.

Espinosa got ahead in the count 2-0, but after taking two straight breaking balls, the count was even. Luckily for Cuba, Espinosa didn't need to get a hit. The next pitch got through Mexico's catcher, allowing the runner from third to score. That was the only run Cuba could secure, but it's still a massive advantage to end the first up one.

Cuba 1, Mexico 0 heading into the second inning.

Hawaii 3, Pennsylvania 1

With two outs, Pennsylvania's chances of winning seem slim, but the team isn't giving up. With a runner on third, Will Siveter drilled a single to left field, driving in the runner. The duty then fell to Tyler Wexler to keep Pennsylvania alive. He drew a walk. All of a sudden, the go-ahead run was at the plate. Dean Hamilton would go down on strikes, ending Pennsylvania's run, but not before giving Hawaii a bit of a scare in the top of the sixth.

Hawaii extends lead to three

It's going to be very tough for Pennsylvania to make a comeback now. Hawaii drove in another run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Pennsylvania has already made an effort to prevent a goose egg, getting a runner to third in the top of the sixth, but hope seems slim for the hometown team's chances of advancing in this tournament.

Dean Hamilton saves run with defensive play

With Hawaii leading 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth, Pennsylvania couldn't afford to surrender any more runs if they wanted a chance to come back.

After a sacrifice bunt moved a runner into scoring position, Hawaii had an opportunity to extend their lead. Hawaii's Kellen Takamura drilled a line drive toward short, but Pennsylvania shortstop Dean Hamilton made a great play, snagging the ball to his left in order to end the inning. Pennsylvania trails 2-0 heading into the fifth.

Venezuela defeats Aruba, 2-1

Despite not scoring a run for five innings, Venezuela gets production when it needs it most. After getting the bases loaded, a wild pitch tied the game, and a bases-loaded walk issued to Jhonson Freitez gave the Latin America Region champions the win.

Venezuela will play the winner of Tuesday's Mexico-Cuba clash on Wednesday for a spot in the international bracket's semifinals. Aruba has been eliminated with the loss.

Evan Tavares strikes out the side for Hawaii

After taking the mound with a 2-0 lead, Hawaii's starting pitcher makes quick work of Pennsylvania's lineup in the top of the second inning. After allowing a single on the first pitch, Tavares gets two strikeouts swinging and one looking on the next 10 pitches to complete the inning.

Venezuela ties the game

Kransen's first pitch to Luis Yepez is wild, and Durán comes home to tie the game. Aruba decides to intentionally walk Yepez after the snafu, and the bases are loaded once again with no outs. It's 1-1 with the winning run 60 feet away.

Aruba finds itself in trouble late

Beiker Zarraga hits a bunt single, getting the bases loaded for Venezuela with zero outs in the bottom of the sixth.

Hawaii plates another with steal of home

Hawaii pulls off the first-and-third double steal on Pennsylvania, and Brextyn Kamaha'o Hong scores. It's 2-0 Hawaii after the first.

Joshua Durán, Simón Vicheria get things started for Venezuela

Needing at least one run to send the game to extras, Venezuela gets the tying run aboard after Durán singles on a ball to right field. One pitch later, Vicheria reaches on an error after his bunt attempt.

Venezuela has the tying and winning runs aboard with no outs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Hawaii on the board first in second game of the day

As Aruba attempts to complete the shutout of Venezuela on Volunteer Field, Pennsylvania and Hawaii have started their elimination matchup on Lamade Field.

Kanon Nakama plates Gauge Pacheco for the first run of the game on a sacrifice fly to right field. It's 1-0 Hawaii.

Pérez works perfect sixth

Aruba is unable to add any insurance runs in the top of the sixth inning. The 1-2-3 inning from Pérez ensures his team will only need a run to tie or two to win in the bottom of the final inning.

Kransen strikes out three more in scoreless fifth

The pitchers' duel continues. After a two-strikeout, scoreless top of the fifth inning from Venezuela's Pérez, Aruba's Kransen strikes out three more in the bottom of the inning.

It's still 1-0 Aruba, so Venezuela will have to try to battle back from a deficit in the game's final frame. If they struggle to do so like they did against Japan on Monday, they'll be eliminated from the tournament.

Kransen ends the fourth with a strikeout

One up, one down for Kransen after he enters in relief. He gets Abraham Lucena with a swinging strikeout. It's still 1-0 Aruba with two innings left to play.

Naivmar Angela exits

Aruba's starter hits his 85-pitch limit in the bottom of the fourth inning. He exits after 3 2/3 innings with a shutout intact and seven strikeouts on the day. Henry Kransen will be the new pitcher.

José Pérez relieves Mora, throws perfect inning

Pérez replaced Mora on the mound to begin the fourth inning and make quick work of Aruba's lineup. He struck out the first batter he faced then induced two grounders to get through the inning on 12 pitches.

Angela eliminates scoring threat in third

Venezuela threatened to tie when it put runners on the corners with two outs in the bottom of the third. Angela ended the inning by striking out Jesús Díaz looking on a full count.

Beiker Zarraga throws out batter from right field

The Venezuelan right fielder charged an opposite-field grounder from Jayziël Dinmohamed and came up throwing. Even with Dinmohamed hustling out of the box, Zarraga's throw beat him to first base.

As a result, Mora's third inning was perfect, and it included two more strikeouts to bring his total to six on the day.

Angela strikes out three in scoreless second

Aruba's starting pitcher is rolling. He's recorded five strikeouts through two innings of work. It's still 1-0 Aruba entering the third.

Willian's Mora pitches himself into, then out of, trouble

After striking out the first two batters on six pitches, Mora loaded up the bases for Aruba after a hit batsman, a walk and a single. He ended the threat quickly after that by striking out Matthew Rincones on three pitches.

Naivmar Angela escapes jam

After issuing a walk to load the bases with one out, Angela strikes out the next two Venezuelan batters to get out of the inning unscathed. It's still 1-0 Aruba after one.

Venezuela loads the bases in the first

A couple of walks and a base hit have put Venezuela in good position to tie the game or take the lead in the bottom of the first. The Latin American Region champions have the bases loaded with one out in the inning.

Aruba scores first as Carrasquel narrowly misses inning-ending fly out

Venezuelan center fielder Samuel Carrasquel put his body on the line, diving to try to catch a Nishant Toledo fly ball. He ends up just short, trapping the ball in his mitt instead of catching it on the fly. The result is an RBI single for Toledo, and Aruba gets on the board first as Izaak Martina comes around to score.

The Caribbean Region champs lead, 1-0, in the top of the first inning.

Aruba vs. Venezuela prepared to begin Tuesday's slate of games

Four more elimination games get underway Tuesday, and the Caribbean and Latin American regional champions will face off in the first of them soon.

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 10 a.m. ET.

Stream the Little League World Series with Fubo (free trial)

How many teams have been eliminated from the LLWS?

The LLWS started with ten teams in both the international and U.S. brackets. Since the start of the LLWS, eight teams have been eliminated, four from each side of the bracket.

Eliminated from the U.S. half of the bracket are Midwest Region (South Dakota), New England Region (New Hampshire), Great Lakes Region (Illinois) and Northwest Region (Washington).

In the international side of the bracket, four more teams are eliminated: Puerto Rico, Canada, Europe-Africa (Czech Republic) and Australia.

When is the LLWS championship game?

The LLWS championship game is slated for Sunday, Aug. 25, at 3 p.m. ET. The third-place consolation game will take place the same day at 10 a.m. ET.

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

How does the Little League World Series work?

The Little League World Series is split into two brackets: the United States bracket and the international bracket. Each bracket will play out their own individual tournaments, with the winner from each bracket facing each other in the championship.

The U.S. and international brackets are double-elimination brackets, meaning a team can progress in a separate elimination bracket after losing its first game. The elimination bracket winner plays the winners' bracket winner in its respective – U.S. or international – final for the chance to play in the LLWS championship.

In other words, a team must lose twice before it is eliminated from the tournament.

Little League World Series: Aug. 20 schedule

All times Eastern

Venezuela vs. Aruba, 1 p.m. | Volunteer Stadium | ESPN
Hawaii vs. Pennsylvania, 3 p.m. | Lamade Stadium | ESPN
Mexico vs. Cuba, 5 p.m. | Volunteer Stadium | ESPN
New York vs. Florida, 7 p.m. | Lamade Stadium | ESPN

The 2024 U.S. Regional Champions

Great Lakes - Hinsdale Little League - Hinsdale, Illinois
Metro - South Shore Little League - Staten Island, New York
Mid-Atlantic - Council Rock Newtown Little League - Newtown, Pennsylvania
Midwest - Sioux Falls Little League - Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Mountain - Paseo Verde Little League - Henderson, Nevada
New England - Salem Little League - Salem, New Hampshire
Northwest - South Hill Little League - Puyallup, Washington
Southeast - Lake Mary Little League - Lake Mary, Florida
Southwest - Boerne Little League - Boerne, Texas
West - Central East Maui Little League - Wailuku, Hawaii

The 2024 International Regional Champions

Asia-Pacific - Kuei-Shan Little League - Taoyuan City, Chinese Taipei
Australia - Hills Little League - Sydney, New South Wales
Canada - Whalley Little League - Surrey, British Columbia
Caribbean - Aruba Center Little League - Santa Cruz, Aruba
Cuba - Santa Clara Little League - Villa Clara, Cuba
Europe-Africa - South Czech Republic Little League - Brno, Czech Republic
Japan - Johoku Little League - Tokyo, Japan
Latin America - Cardenales Little League - Barquisimeto, Venezuela
Mexico - Matamoros Little League - Tamaulipas, Mexico
Puerto Rico - Radames Lopez Little League - Guayama, Puerto Rico

Past Little League World Series results

Teams from the United States have dominated the Little League World Series as of late, having won each of the last five dating back to 2017. The last international team to win the tournament was Japan, who beat Lufkin, Texas 12-2 in just five innings in the 2017 final.

List of past winners:

Results date back to 2010 LLWS.

2023: El Segundo, Calif.
2022: Honolulu
2021: Taylor, Mich.
2020: Canceled due to COVID
2019: River Ridge, La.
2018: Honolulu
2017: Tokyo
2016: Maine-Endwell, N.Y.
2015: Tokyo
2014: Seoul, South Korea
2013: Tokyo
2012: Tokyo
2011: Huntington Beach, Calif.
2010: Tokyo

LLWS bracket and schedule

Here is the full 2024 LLWS bracket, courtesy of the Little League World Series:

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