South Williamsport, Pa. – Even with a case of the sniffles, Levi Rudolph didn’t mind pitching through on-and-off rain, a stiff breeze and cool temperatures that made it seem more like early March than mid-August.
Rudolph pitched four-plus effective innings and drove home a run on a bunt single as Lake Oswego, Ore., defeated Hamilton, Ohio, 6-1 on Tuesday to advance to the Little League World Series semifinals.
“The last couple days, I had a little cold, but I’ve played in these conditions all year,” said the 13-year-old Rudolph, who hails from the rainy Pacific Northwest. “I really don’t think about these pressure situations.”
In other games Tuesday, Tokyo defeated White Rock, British Columbia, 7-1; and Maracaibo, Venezuela, routed Apeldoorn, Netherlands, 21-2.
The tournament resumed Tuesday after the full slate of five games Monday was postponed because of a steady rain.
Tuesday wasn’t much better. The sun never came out over South Williamsport, with a drizzle falling much of the day. Temperatures were in the 60s, though the breeze made it feel even cooler.
Heavier downpours later Tuesday forced the game between Walpole, Mass., and Warner Robins, Ga., to be suspended in the second inning.
That game will be resumed today.
The late game between Taiwan and Mexico never even started, and was also postponed.
Austin Andrews led off the bottom of the first with an opposite-field homer to right, part of a two-run inning for Lake Oswego (2-1), which never trailed.
“I just saw a pitch I liked and I drove it out of the park,” the 12-year-old Andrews said. “It was awesome.”
Hamilton (1-2) closed to 2-1 in the second after John Cornett’s RBI single to left scored Brandon Green.
But it was one of just two hits allowed by Rudolph, who said he relied on his fastball after losing confidence in his curveball.
In the fifth, Rudolph drove in a runner from third after dropping a bunt toward first with the third baseman creeping in toward the plate.
The game was well in hand by then, though, and the team was serenaded by chants of “Here we go, Lakers, here we go!”
All the way to the semifinals Thursday.
COLLEGES
Basketball recruit strengthens K-State
The son of a former NBA player joined Kansas State’s already talented recruiting class when the Wildcats signed forward Ron Anderson Jr. to a financial aid agreement.
The 6-foot-8, 245-pound forward averaged 15.1 points and 11.6 rebounds as a senior at the McCallie School in McCallie, Tenn.
“We are excited about the addition of Ron to our basketball program,” first-year Wildcats coach Frank Martin said. “He will provide us with an option to score the ball from the low post.”
Anderson’s father, Ron Anderson Sr., averaged 10.6 points in a 10-year NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets and Washington Bullets.
Also, Martin said forward Jamar Samuels had not met academic requirements and would not enroll at Kansas State for his freshman year.
Duke junior forward David McClure will be out six to eight weeks following surgery on his aching right knee.
FOOTNOTES
Linden staying with Canucks
Trevor Linden re-signed with the Vancouver Canucks, agreeing to a one-year contract worth $600,000.
The 37-year-old Linden, who will be entering his 16th season with the Canucks, can earn an additional $350,000 in bonuses for games played.
“For the last week or so, I was, for the lack of a better word, getting a little cranky,” said Linden, who has played 18 seasons in the NHL. “Just with the uncertainty, now it focuses in for me … it just puts some closure to it.”
Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings participated in her first full practice in a month in Indianapolis, as the team prepares for its playoff opener.
Catchings was a leading contender for the MVP award before she injured her left foot on July 20 and missed the final 13 games of the regular season.
American rookie John Isner waited through nine hours of rain, then beat Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-4 in 57 minutes in the first round of the Pilot Pen in New Haven, Conn.
The 6-foot-9 former University of Georgia star had 14 aces and was seldom in danger of being broken by the much smaller (5-10) German.
Fan favorite James Blake, who grew up in nearby Fairfield, also won his first match in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2, over Arnaud Clement of France.
Dance Smartly, the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Breeders’ Cup in 1991, has died after suffering an injury in her paddock in Milton, Ontario. She was 19.
