Sweetwater Valley, Red Land tabbed among favorites in Little League World Series

Little League World Series West Region champion Sweetwater Valley Little League and Mid-Atlantic Region champion Red Land Little League, the Pennsylvania champion, have been tabbed as early favorites to win the U.S. championship. Both teams are slated to open the tournament on Friday, with the winners advancing to Sunday’s second round of pool play.

Sunday’s winners advance to Wednesday’s semifinal, with the winner of that game advancing to the U.S. championship game on Aug. 29.

The loser’ drops to the challenger bracket semifinal is scheduled on Thursday, with the winner of that game advancing to the U.S. championship game.

The Little League World Series final, which pits the U.S. division champion against the International divisaion champion, is scheduled Aug. 30.

“If both of us (Sweetwater Valley and Red Land) stay in the winners bracket, we would meet on Wednesday, but that’s if we both stay in the winners bracket,” Sweetwater Valley Little League 12U all-star manager Ward Lannom explained. “We’re focusing on one game at a time. I don’t want any of the other teams to slip by us because we overlooked them.”

The Sweetwater Sluggers haven’t left too many stones unturned thus far in their trek to Williamsport.

Heading into Friday’s opening game against Great Lakes Region champion Bowling Green Eastern Little League (11 a.m. PDT, ESPN2), the Southern California champions have smashed 72 home runs, rapped out 243 hits and outscored opponents 229-57 in 16 games, all victories.

Sweetwater Valley clubbed 15 home runs, scored 50 runs and racked up 60 hits in winning its four games at the LLWS West Region championship tournament.

Kentucky state champion Bowling Green Eastern qualified for this year’s Little League World Series by defeating Wisconsin’s Burlington Little League, 13-0, in the Great Lakes Region championship game after fighting back through the loser’s bracket following a 10-0 loss to Burlington in the semifinals.

Bowling Green Eastern finished 3-1 in the regional tournament. After losing to Burlington in the semifinals, the Kentucky champions staved off elimination with a 4-3 win over West Side Little League from Hamilton, Ohio. Bowling Green Eastern opened the tournament with a 5-2 win over Indiana state champion New Albany Little League.

Red Land, based in Lewisberry, qualified to make the short trip to Williamsport after defeating New Jersey’s Jackson Township Little League, 12-0, in the Mid-Atlantic Region final. Red Land finished 3-0 in the regional tournament. The Pennsylvania champions also defeated New York’s Maine-Endwell Little League, 11-3, and Jackson Township, 13-2, in the semifinals.

Sweetwater Valley slams six home runs, defeats Great Lakes champion 14-2

Sweetwater Valley’s Little League World Series West Region champion juggernaut team continued its mastery of the bat — and long ball — in recording a key 14-2 victory over Great Lakes Region champion Bowling Green Eastern Little League, the Kentucky state champion, in the team’s opening round match-up Friday afternoon in Williamsport, Pa.

The Sweetwater Sluggers slammed six home runs and collected 11 hits in the four-inning, mercy-rule shortened contest to improve to 1-0 in Little League World Series play.

Sweetwater Valley advances to Sunday’s second-round contest against Southwest Region champion Pearland West Little League, the Texas East state champion. Game time is noon Pacific time. Pearland West defeated Wilshire-Riverside Little League from Portland, Ore., the Northwest Region champion, by a score of 1-0 in the teams’ tournament opener, also on Friday.

“To get that first win is the main goal,” explained Sweetwater Valley manager Ward Lannon, whose team improved to 17-0 in all-star tournament play. “You always want to stay in the winners bracket. Playing in front of an estimated crowd of 14,000 the kids responded well. Our hitting continued.”

The win over Bowling Green Eastern was the team’s ninth mercy-rule victory during that undefeated span.

Antonio Andrade, Walker Lannom, Nick Maldonado, Levi Mendez, Nate Nankil and Dante Schmid each hit home runs to power the West offense. Maldonado paced the team with four RBI, all on a grand slam, while Mendez and Schmid each collected three RBI, and Lannom had two RBI.

Lannom finished the game with six total bases. He went 3-for-3 at the plate and scored three runs. Andrade and Nankil each had five total bases in the game and scored two runs each.

Sweetwater Valley entered the bottom of the fourth inning leading 14-0 with starter Schmid nursing a no-hitter. However, facing the top of the order, Schmid coughed up a double to left field by Bowling Green Eastern’s Eli Burwash and Carson Kelley followed with a two-run home run to spoil the shutout bid.

Schmid struck out the next batter, Jonah Thurman, but Nankil came in to record the final two outs of the game.

Devin Obee greeted Nankil with a double to record Bowling Green Eastern’s third consecutive hit. But the SVLL reliever bore down thereafter to end the game on consecutive groundouts to shortstop, with Mendez throwing to Jake Baptista on both outs.

Nankil threw 12 pitches — 11 of them strikes – to close out the game.

Schmid threw 53 pitches – 33 of them strikes – during his three-and-one-third innings on the hill. Schmid struck out eight of the 13 batters he faced, including all three he faced in the third inning. He did not walk a batter.

“Dante pitched the best since the district tournament,” the SVLL manager said.

After a scoreless first inning between the teams, Schmid got Sweetwater Valley rolling with a three-run home run in the second inning. Lannom opened the frame with a single and Baptista doubled to left field. Schmid then homered to left field.

The Sweetwater Sluggers broke the game open with 11 runs in the bottom of the third inning – all on home runs.

Andrade and Nankil each hit solo home runs to increase the Sweetwater Valley lead to 5-0. More was to come. Lannom singled, Baptista walked, Schmid struck out  for the second out of the inning but Isaac Artalejo drew a walk to load the bases. That set the stage for the grand slam by Maldonado, whose pinch-hit lshot cleared the bushes well beyond the center field fence.

9-0 Sweetwater Valley.

The inning continued as Mark Cervantes was hit by a pitch and Andrade followed with a single to put two runners back on base. Mendez promptly cleared the base paths with another line shot over the center field fence for a 12-0 SVLL lead.

Nankil followed with his second hit of the game and Lannom drove another pitch over the center field fence for a home run to complete the Sweetwater Valley scoring.

The five home runs in the inning tied a LLWS record.

The younger Lannom’s blast was estimated to have traveled 290 feet — the farthest of the team’s six homers in the game.

Jaws dropped in the SVLL dugout upon Maldonado’s grand slam in images captured by the ESPN television crew.

“That was great,” the Sweetwater Sluggers’ skipper noted. “There were two outs and it put us up 9-0, on the verge of the run-rule so we could save our pitching (for later games). To do that, the West set the tone for the rest of the tournament.”

Sweetwater Valley finished the game with 11 hits. Six batters in the lineup combined for 10 hits, 14 RBI and 10 runs scored.

“Whatever happens from this point forward, the team has entered its name in the Little League World Series record book with the most home runs in one inning,” the elder Lannom proudly explained. “It’s happened only one other time. That was in 1992. That was, something like, 23 years ago.”

Burwash started the game for the Kentucky champions and absorbed the loss. He pitched two-and-one-third innings, struck out three hitters and allowed five runs.

Burwash was one of four Bowling Green Eastern pitchers to take the mound in the fateful third inning. Obee followed and got one out while allowing three runs. Ty Bryant was next called on. He failed to get an out while being pummeled for five hits and six runs. Carson Myers finally managed to stop the bleeding by striking out the one batter he faced.

Sweetwater Valley has now hit 78 home runs in its 17 games to go with 254 hits. The California District 42 champions have outscored their opponents 243-57.

“To do what we did, the West has set the tone for the rest of the tournament,” the elder Lannom said. “As soon as our games was over, I was told that West gear was flying off the shelf (at the stadium).”

Strong pitching dominated the Southwest-Northwest game. Jarret Tadlock of the Texas East champions allowed one hit and struck out eight hitters while Dylan MacLean of the Oregon team struck out 12 batters and allowed one run.

Isaac Garcia produced the lone run of the game in the fourth inning on a home run.

Tadlock did not allow a walk in his four-and-one-third innings on the mound. Garcia, the game’s hitting star, closed out the win in relief.

“Texas looks to be a really scrappy team,” the SVLL manager said. “We’ll probably see a curve-baller. From this point on, we’re only going to see the best from the other teams. Everyone will be after us.”

Batter up

Mexico champion Mexicali shaded Canada, 1-0, in an international bracket game on Friday. Daniel Zaragoza struck out 10 Canadian batters and drove in the game’s lone run in the sixth inning. Canada pitcher Matthew Wilkinson drominated the Mexicali hitters with 16 strikeouts while hurling five scoreless innings. Raul Leon, who singled in the fourth inning and tripled in the sixth inning, had two of Mexico’s four hits inn the game. Alen Sugimoto was charged wth the loss in relief.

Mexicali allowed only three hits to Canada. Mexico next faces Japan in a winners bracket showdown Sunday at 2 p.m. Pacific time.

As for Red Land? The Mid-Atlantic Region champions trounced Midwest Region champion Webb City Little League from Missouri, 18-0, in four innings behind a barrage of three home runs and 16 hits on Friday. Cole Wagner clubbed two home runs to lead the Pennsylvania state champions. Wagner finished the game with four hits and five RBI.

Red Land scored 10 runs in the second inning and tacked on eight more runs in the third inning while holding the Midwest champions to just two hits. Mid-Atlantic’s Adam Cramer, Kaden Peifer, Wagner and Jake Cubbler combined for 10 hits and 12 RBI. On the hill, Red Land’s Jaden Henline gave up one hit and struck out five batters in two-and-one-third innings of work.

Red Land next faces the Southeast Region champion Northwood Little League from South Carolina on Sunday after the Southeast Region champs hung a 7-1 defeat on New England Region champion Cranston Wester Little League from Rhode Island.

Sweetwater Sluggers enjoying stay in Little League fantasyland

Sweetwater Valley Little League’s 12U all-star team arrived in Pennsylvania Sunday evening after a 20-hour bus-plane-bus exchange to the East Coast. It’s been almost heaven, according to SVLL manager Ward Lannom.

“Every day has been a highlight back here,” he said in a cell phone interview.

The team took part in Wednesday’s annual Grand Slam Parade that attracted upward of 30,000 spectators. Between batting practice, television interviews, commercial spots, uniform sizing and free time in the compound’s massive rec room and pool, it’s been a whirlwind experience for everyone associated with the Sweetwater Valley team.

“It’s completely night and day from where we were,” Lannom said.

The team arrived at the LLWS complex at 9:30 p.m. local time Sunday. The team was ushered into its dorm, then taken to a large conference room where the blue West uniform was unveiled to the team. Players were immediately sized for uniforms and assigned jersey numbers.

“Monday and Tuesday were really crazy,” the SVLL manager related. “We ate breakfast, went over to the Easton store where the kids could pick out the gloves of their choice. They got bat bags, cleats, batting gloves, batting helmets and two sets of catcher gear, even coaching shoes. They were like kids in a candy store.

“The Baseball Factory then did a profile on each player for recruiting purposes. We then went into an underground batting cage equipped with a Wii screen where the kids could find out exactly what type of bat best fit their hitting style.”

Known for its hitting prowess, the team promptly cracked two new bats, the SVLL manager duly noted.

Monday ended with lunch, batting practice, dinner and free time for the players. At their disposal in the rec area are video games, an arcade, ping pong tables, TVs and a pool.

“It was really nice,” Lannom said. “There’s a lot for them to do.”

So far, communicating with other teams hasn’t been a problem. Sweetwater Valley is lodged next to teams from Canada and Australia.

Tuesday started with a visit to the Oakley tent, official photos and more than two hours performing in front of ESPN cameras.

“They got to be goofballs for the TV commercials,” the SVLL manager explained. “They filmed the whole team for player bios in front of blue screens. Each player gave their name, their favorite Major League Baseball player and their favorite food. They even filmed our lucky monkey mascot with confetti.”

In other words, it’s played out like children opening presents on Christmas morning.

And Lannom got to open a present of his own. His 46th birthday on Thursday coincided with the trip to Williamsport.

“I thought about it as we were going through all these tournaments what it might be like to be at the World Series for my birthday, and it’s turned out kind of surreal that it’s actually happened,” the SVLL manager said.

In fact, the team’s journey to Williamsport has had kind of a surreal quality to it.

Sweetwater Valley takes it on the chin in Little League World Series, will need to regroup following 8-4 loss to Texas East

As the wins have grown in number for Sweetwater Valley Little League’s 12U all-star team, so has the media attention and fan support. After clubbing Kentucky, 14-2, in last Friday’s Little League World Series tournament opener in South Williamsport, Pa., interest in the Bonita team had reached a frenzy with its unblemished 17-0 record and 1-0 start in LLWS play.

“Keep swinging those bats,” former Sweetwater Valley Little Leaguer and current Major League Baseball star Adrian Gonzalez tweeted.

The San Diego Padres also tweeted a good luck message to the team prior to their game against the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday afternoon at Petco Park.

The San Diego Chargers sent a video message to the team that was played on the ABC-TV broadcast of Sunday’s winners bracket game against Texas East champion Pearland West Little League. Head coach Mike McCoy, quarterback Philip Rivers and tight end Antonio Gates all sent personal shout-outs to the team.

Rivers, who played Little League Baseball as a child, said he could recall the excitement the Sweetwater Valley team is currently experiencing at the LLWS.

Nearly 1,000 fans gathered at the Sweetwater Valley Little League complex to watch Sunday’s game on a giant 10-foot by 20-foot video board with professional sound. Vendors hawked street tacos and other delicacies while the snack bar also did brisk business. Sales of West T-shirts and other apparel items added to the league’s fundraising efforts.

Despite all the encouragement via social media and at swelling viewing parties, the odds finally caught up with Sweetwater Valley, specifically in the guise of Texas pitcher Ben Gottfried.

The Southwest hurler kept the Sweetwater Valley hitters off balance during his four-and-two-thirds innings on the mound. Gottfried allowed just three hits and one run while striking out seven batters.

Reliever Isaac Garcia closed out the game by allowing a three-run home run to Dante Schmid with one out in the sixth inning.

Gottfried also helped his cause at the play by slamming a two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning to add two more insurance runs on the scoreboard for the Texans in their dramatic 8-4 win.

The home run was the second in LLWS play for Schmid and Sweetwater Valley’s seventh home run in two games.

The tournament becomes single-elimination from here on for the Sweetwater Sluggers, who face Cranston Western Little League, the New England Region champion from Rhode Island, in a key elimination bracket game Monday at 5 p.m. PDT.

Sweetwater Valley needs two wins in the elimination bracket to advance to the loser’s bracket semifinal, where they would get a chance to redeem themselves with a win to qualify for the United States division championship game next Saturday.

But the team needs to defeat Rhode Island first and then worry about each successive game if and when it comes along.

Meanwhile, Pearland West advances to Wednesday’s semifinals, needing one win to claim a berth in next Saturday’s U.S. division championship game.The Texans will meet pre-tournament favorite Red Land, the Mid-Atlantic Region champion after the Pennsylvania squad edged Southeast Region champion Northwood Little League from Carolina, 9-8, in Sunday’s other winners bracket game.

“It’s hard to be perfect,” Sweetwater Valley Little League manager Ward Lannom said succintly. “We were off that game. But you have to tip your cap to that kid (Gottfried). We couldn’t figure out his curve ball and he had a great day at the plate.

“If you take away the errors we made — mostly mental errors — we could have won that game 4-3. We just need to go out and play our game, like we’ve been doing, and hopefully we’ll come out on top.”

The long road
After 17 consecutive wins, the odds suddenly no longer favor Sweetwater Valley, picked as a pre-tournament favorite alongside Red land. Winning Sunday’s contest was paramount to taking the shortest route to the LLWS championship. Teams that have opened the tournament 2-0 have gone on to play in the championship game in 12 of the last 13 years. The last seven champions have started LLWS play 2-0.

Pearland West Little League now has the odds in its favor, though the Sweetwater Sluggers are by no means out of the tournament, especially if they get their bats going again and reduce the mental errors that plagued them on Sunday in the upcoming elimination bracket games.

Rhode Island dropped its LLWS tournament opener, 7-1, to South Carolina’s Northwood Little League. Rhode Island staved off elimination on Saturday with a 6-3 win over Midwest Region champion Webb City, the Missouri State champion.

Cole Adamec picked up the win for Rhode Island by allowing two runs on one hit in two-and-two-thirds innings. New England got out of the chute with five runs in the first inning on RBI-scoring hits from Justin Patalano, Jake Bender and Tommy Harper.

“Eevery team at this point is going to be good,” the SVLL manager stressed in previewing Monday’s game. “It comes down to putting it all together, coming together offensively and defensively. Hopefully, we’ll be back to where we were and take off where we left off on Friday.”

After blasting Bowling Green Eastern Little League for 11 hits and six home runs in Friday’s tournament opener, Sweetwater Valley’s bats were held in check by the Texas East champions.  The Southwest champs out-hit the West champs 9-6, depositing two balls over the fence for four runs on a pair of two-run homers by Raffi Gross and Gottfried.

Sweetwater Valley also played uncharacteristically shoddy defense by committing five errors. Virtually every miscue proved damaging to the team’s cause.

Antonio Andrade, who went 1-0 with 11 strikeouts and three walks at the LLWS West Region championship tournament, got the starting pitching assignment for the Southern California champions. Isaac Garcia, the hero of Pearland’s 1-0 win over Northwest champion Wilshire-Riverside from Portland, Ore., greeted Andrade with a sharply hit ball that went for an infield single.

Andrade then hit the next batter to put two runners on base with none out. It was an ominous start for Sweetwater Valley.

Andrade managed to get Jarrett Tadlock to pop out for the first round but Zack Mack followed with a RBI single to give Texas East a 1-0 lead. Andrade was not out of danger yet, with runners on second and third bases with just one out. He put himself in an even bigger jam by hitting the next batter to load the bases.

But Andrade bore down from there, getting another pop out and then a strikeout to end the inning. The damage was done with one run. But one figured that would not be a problem for the hard-hitting Sweetwater Valley juggernaut team.

But on Sunday, it proved to be a case of good pitching neutralizing good hitting.

Gottfried was on fire from the start. Garcia, who led the Sweetwater Sluggers with 16 home runs, struck out. Levi Mendez grounded out and Nate Nankil flied out as Gottfried retired the heart of the West champions’ line-up in 1-2-3 fashion.

The Texans won the first inning 1-0.

Andrade faced four batters in the top of the second inning, with one Pearland hitter reaching base on an error.

Gottfried gave up a lead-off hit to Walker Lannom to open the second inning but promptly retired the next three batters in order.

Texas maintained a 1-0 lead through two innings. The third inning proved to be Sweetwater Valley’s undoing with the Southwest champions plating five runs to take a commanding 6-0 lead.

Tadlock singled and advanced to third base on a steal and overthrow. Mack brought home Tadlock on a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead. Marco Gutierrez blooped a single into right field. Andrade struck out Caleb Low for the inning’s first out but Raffi Gross followed by hitting a pinch-hit two-run home run to double the Texans lead to 4-0.

The third error of the inning for Sweetwater Valley placed another Pearland West runner on base. At this point, Andrade departed the mound for Levi Mendez.

Mendez went 2-0 with a 3.10 earned-run average at the regional tournament. However, a base hit and error allowed another run to score. Garcia then drove a ball to the wall to plate another run before being thrown out at home plate while attempting to score on an inside-the-park home run.

6-0 Texas.

Sweetwater Valley showed some life in the bottom of the third inning when Andrade reached base on a dropped third strike and Mendez doubled to score him. However, Gottfried was able to prevent a big inning developing for the SoCal champions when he struck out Nankil.

Both teams went down in order in the fourth inning as Texas maintained its five-run lead.

However, the Sweetwater Valley manager reminded his team that they were still in the contest, trailing by only five “dingers.”

Nankil took over the pitching duties for SVLL in the top of the firth inning and retired the side in order.

Sweetwater Valley showed more signs of life in the bottom of the fifth inning as Nick Maldonado reached based on an infield hit and Cameron Barbabosa followed with a double to place runners at second and third bases with one out. But Andrade drove a hard liner to the left fielder for the second out, without either running advancing.

Garcia then relieved Gottfried at the 68-pitch count. Mendez had a chance to narrow the scored with a base hit. Instead, Garcia struck him out to end the threat with two runners left on base.

Sweetwater Valley pitchers registered three strikeouts in the top of the sixth inning. But an infield hit off Nankil and Gottfried’s two-run smash off Lannom proved to be the backbreaking blow as the Texans went up by seven runs.

Sweetwater Valley showed a flash of possible things to come in the tournament in its final at-bat. Nankil opened the frame with a base hit, the younger Lannom followed with a single to left field. After Jake Baptista popped out, Schmid then drove a liner over the right field fence to halve the score.

Sweetwater Valley placed one more runner on base but Garcia struck out Barbabosa to end the game.

Sunday’s Pennsylvania-South Carolina match-up featured 18 hits between the teams, including seven extra-base hits. The game featured three lead changes, Jaden Henline stroke a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning to score teammates Adam Cramer and Braden Kolmansberger. Kaden Peifer also hit a solo home run in the sixth inning for the winners, who rallied from an 8-6 deficit with three runs in the sixth inning.

South Carolina had taken the lead with four runs in the top of the sixth inning after trailing 6-4. Pennsylvania jumped out to a quick lead with five runs in the bottom of the first inning.

Ethan Phillips delivered the big hit for Red Land in the opening inning with a double to score Kolmansberger, Cole Wagner and Henline, who would later earn the win on the mound. Chayton Krauss and Cramer followed with run-scoring hits.

Pennsylvania has racked up 27 runs in forging its 2-0 tournament start.

Japan defeated Mexico, 3-1, in the international division to open tournament play 2-0. Kabu Kikuchi put the Japanese ahead on a two-run single in the first inning. Fukutano Kiyomirya homered in the fifth inning to extend his team’s lead to 3-0. Mexico got its only run on a sixth inning home run by Gerardo Lujano.

Nobuyuki Kawashima allowed three hits and strukc out five Mexicali hitters in his four innings on the mound while teammate Daiki Fukuyama closed out the game wth the final six outs to record the save.

Japan advances to meet Venezuela in Wednesday’s division semifinals after the Latin American champions disposed of Europe-Africa champion Uganda, 7-0, earlier on Sunday.

Mexico 14, Australia 3

Mexico rode a nine-run first inning explosion to romp past Australia in an elimination bracket game Monday. Mexicali’s Seguro Social Little League advances to Tuesday’s elimination bracket game against the winner of Monday’s elimination bracket game between Asia-Pacific and Europe-Africa.

Jorge Armenta led Mexico with three hits, four RBI and scored three runs while Damien Garcia and Andres Villa each had two RBI.

Key hits in the first inning fir Mexicali included an RBI double by Gerardo Lujano, an RBI single by Raul Leon, a two-run double by Villa and a two-run single by Armenta.

Mexico hit three home runs in the game — Garcia in the second inning, Armenta in the third inning and Alberto Bustos in the fourth inning. Mexicali out hit the Aussies 11-6. Blake Cavill had two hits and drove in one run for the team representing Cronulla Little League.

Hector Sanchez and Jordan Solorio handled the pitching chores for Mexico. Sanchez, who got the win, pitched three innings, allowed three runs, six hits and struck out four batters. Solorio pitched one inning, did not allow a hit and struck out one batter.

Armenta, Bustos and Garcia combined for six hits and seven RBI to lead the Mexicans.

 

Field is set for 2015 Little League World Series

United States Championship Tournament

Great Lakes Region: Bowling Green Eastern Little League (Kentucky)

Mid-Atlantic Region: Red Land Little League (Pennsylvania)

Midwest Region: Webb City Little League (Missouri)

New England Region: Cranston Western Little League (Rhode Island)

Northwest Region: Wilshire-Riverside Little League (Oregon)

Southwest Region: Northwood Little League (South Carolina)

Southwest Region: Pearland West Little League (Texas East)

West Region: Sweetwater Valley Little League (Southern California)

International Championship Tournament

Asia-Pacific Region: Tung Yuan Little League (Chinese Taipei)

Australia Region: Cronulla Little League (Australia)

Canada Region: White Rock South Surrey (British Colombia)

Caribbean Region: Los Bravos de Pontezuela Little League (Dominican Republic)

Europe-Africa Region: AVRS Secondary School Little League (Uganda)

Japan Region: Tokyo Kitasuna Little League (Japan)

Latin America Region: Cardenales Little League (Venezuela)

Mexico Region: Seguro Social Little League (Mexicali)

Little League World Series Schedule

All times Eastern (3 hours earlier for Pacific time)

Friday, Aug. 21

Opening Round Games

International Bracket

Europe-Africa 4, Caribbean 1

Latin America 5, Australia, 2

Mexico 1, Canada 0

Japan 7, Asia-Pacific 5

United States Bracket

Southwest 1, Northwest 0

West 14, Great Lakes 2 (4 innings)

Southeast 7, New England 1

Mid-Atlantic 18, Midwest 0

Saturday, Aug. 22

Elimination Games

International Bracket
Australia 3, Caribbean 0 (Caribbean eliminanted)

Asia-Pacific 18, Canada 4 (Canada eliminated)

United States Bracket

Great Lakes 7, Northwest 5 (Northwest eliminated)

New England 8, Midwest 3 (Midwest eliminated)

Sunday, Aug. 23

Double Elimination Games

International Bracket

Latin America 7, Europe-Africa 0

Japan 3, Mexico 1

United States Bracket

Southwest 8, West 4

Mid-Atlantic 9, Southeast 8

Monday, Aug. 24

Elimination Games

Consolation game, Caribbean 7, Northwest 3

International division elimination game, Mexico 14, Australia 3

U.S. division elimination game, Great Lakes 4, Southeast 3

International division elimination game, Asia-Pacific 5, Europe-Africa 0

U.S. division elimination game, West 10, New England, 3

Tuesday, Aug. 25

Elimination Games

Consolation game, Midwest 18, Canada 6

International division elimination game, Mexico 11, Asia-Pacific 1

U.S. division elimination game, West 11, Great Lakes 3

Wednesday, Aug. 26

Double Elimination Games

International division game, Japan vs. Latin America, 4 p.m. (ESPN)

U.S. division game, Southwest vs. Mid-Atlantic, 8 p.m. (ESPN)

Thursday, Aug. 27

Elimination Games

International division elimination game, Mesico vs. Japan-Latin America loser, 4 p.m. (ESPN)

U.S. division elimination game, West vs. Southwest-Mid-Atlantic loser, 8 p.m. (ESPN)

Saturday, Aug. 29

Division Championship Games

International division championship game, 12:30 p.m. (ABC-TV)

U.S. division championship game, 3:30 p.m. (ABC-TV)

Sunday, Aug. 30

LLWS Placement Games

Third place game, 10 a.m. (ESPN)

Championship game, 3 p.m. (ABC-TV)

Source: http://www.llbws.org/gameinfo/schedule.htm

Sweetwater Valley Little League 12U All-Stars
Tournament Game Log

California District 42 champions
Sweetwater Valley 28, Chula Vista American 0
Sweetwater Valley 19, Park View 1
Sweetwater Valley 18, Imperial Beach 0
Sweetwater Valley 14, Park View 0

California Section 7 champions
Sweetwater Valley 10, Lemon Grove 0
Sweetwater Valley 20, Rancho San Diego 5
Sweetwater Valley 18, Rancho San Diego 7

Southern California
South Division III champions

Sweetwater Valley 12, Orangecrest 5
Sweetwater Valley 6, Encinitas 2
Sweetwater Valley 7, Oceanview 4 (7 innings)

Southern California
Division III champions

Sweetwater Valley 9, Manhattan 6
Sweetwater Valley 18, Manhattan 5
Sweetwater Valley wins best-of-three series 2-0

Little League World Series
West Regional champions

Sweetwater Valley 16, Hawaii 9
Sweetwater Valley 11, Nevada 2
Sweetwater Valley 11, Utah 1
Sweetwater Valley 12, Hawaii 10 (championship game)
Note: Sweetwater Valley advances to Little League World Series as West Region representative

Little League International
Western Regional Tournament
West Region teams

Arizona state champion: Chandler National North Little League
Hawaii state champion: Waipahu Waipio Little League
Nevada state champion: Henderson Paseo Verde Little League
Northern California state champion: San Jose Cambrian Park Little League
Southern California state champion: Sweetwater Valley Little League
Utah State champion: Santa Clara Snow Canyon Little League

Game Schedule
Sunday, Aug. 9

Arizona 3, Northern California 0
Southern California 16,Hawaii 9

Monday, Aug. 10
Utah 11, Arizona 1 (5 innings)
Southern California 11, Nevada 2

Tuesday, Aug. 11

West Region elimination game: Nevada 9, Northern California 3
West Region elimination game: Hawaii 12, Arizona 9 (7 innings)

Wednesday, Aug. 12

West Region elimination game: Hawaii, 14, Nevada 3

Thursday, Aug. 13
West region winners bracket final (semifinal), Southern California 11, Utah 1

Friday, Aug. 14
West Region elimination game (semifinal): Hawaii 15, Utah 0

Saturday, Aug. 15
West Region championship game: Southern California 12, Hawaii 10
Note: Southern California advances to Little League World Series

Sweetwater Valley 12U All-Stars
Team Roster

Players: Antonio Andrade, Isaac Artalejo, Ariel Armas, Jacob Baptista, Cameron Barbabosa, Mark Cervantes, Preston Fleming, Walker Lannom, Nicholas Maldonado, Levi Mendez, Nate Nankil, Braiz Ramirez, Dante Schmid

Manager: Ward Lannom
Coaches: Arturo Maldonado, Jaime Ramirez

Player Profiles

Isaac Artalejo

Bonita Vista Middle School

Age 13

Nickname: “Cachorro”

Antonio Andrade

Bonita Vista Middle School

Age 13

Nickname: “Double-A”

Nate Nankil

Bonita Vista Middle School

Age 12

Nickname: “Nankil the ball”

Cameron Barbabosa

Bonita Vista Middle School

Age 12

Nickname: “Shrimp”

Walker Lannom

Eastlake Middle School

Age 12

Nickname: “The Talker”

Dante Schmid

Eastlake Middle School

Age 13

Nickname: “Big D”

Levi Mendez

Eastlake Middle School

Age 12

Nickname: “Chip”

Nick Maldonado

Eastlake Middle School

Age 12

Nickname: “Penguin”

Preston Fleming

Eastlake Middle School

Age 12

Nickname: “P-Diddy”

Mark Cervantes

Calvary Christian Academy

Age 13

Nickname: “Mark, Mark, Mark”

Ari Armas

Sacred Heart Academy

Age 12

Nickname: “Bugatti”

 

Braiz Ramirez

Coronado Middle School

Age 12

Nickname:”Tree”

 

Jake Baptista

Home school

Age 12

Nickname “Eyebrows”