South Williamsport, Pa. – Dante Bichette Jr. is certainly making a name for himself at the Little League World Series.
Unfortunately for him, Michael Memea and the other West Oahu sluggers are turning in star performances themselves in South Williamsport. West Oahu of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, jumped out to an early lead thanks in part to Memea’s second homer of the series en route to a 10-0 victory over Bichette and his Maitland, Fla., teammates.
Both teams have clinched berths into the next round of the 10-day tournament, though West Oahu’s imposing lineup of big boppers and aggressive baserunners makes the Hawaiians a favorite in the U.S. bracket.
Also Monday, Mexico shut out Russia 7-0; Japan defeated Venezuela 7-4; Curacao beat Saudi Arabia 3-0; and Council Rock-Newtown of Newtown, Pa., routed Davenport (Iowa) Northwest 15-0 behind a four-inning no-hitter by Keith Terry Jr.
Bichette was one of the few bright spots on the day for Maitland, getting two of the four hits off West Oahu ace Alaka’i Aglipay and continuing his stellar performance in the tournament. On Friday, Bichette struck out 11 batters and hit a three-run homer late in a 7-3 triumph over Davenport. On Saturday, he started a two-run first-inning rally and added an insurance run in the fifth with a solo homer to defeat Newtown.
Both games were played in prime-time in front of a national television audience.
He has even sharpened his postgame interview skills, thanks to some help from his parents while traveling to Pennsylvania.
“I wasn’t very good at it,” he said. “I just said some one-word answers.”
Bichette’s father, who is a coach for Maitland, has some experience in the spotlight: Dante Bichette hit 274 home runs during a 14-year major-league career.
With similar faces, the Bichettes would be recognizable as father and son even if they weren’t wearing baseball uniforms.
Little Dante’s dreams of playing in South Williamsport took hold two years ago on a trip to the Little League World Series with his father. They were just spectators then.
“I said to my dad, ‘I want to do that some day,”‘ Bichette Jr. said.
Bichette said he has been working with his son and teammates. Like most coaches, he does a bit of everything in practice – throw baseballs in the batting nets, position fielders and help on pitching mechanics.
He’s probably best known for his stint in the 1990s with the Blake Street Bombers. He ranks third in RBIs (826) and fourth in home runs (201) among Colorado’s all-time leaders.
Bichette Jr. said the best piece of advice he has received from Dad was about pitching.
“Keep your head up and don’t let anything get to you. Always keep good posture,” Bichette Jr. said calmly as he gazed at teammates taking infield practice.
Monday, though, belonged to West Oahu (3-0), which has eight homers in the tourney.
