SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Knox Carter got some advice from his cousin, Kyle, and his friends about what it would be like to play at the Little League World Series.
Kyle Carter was part of the Columbus, Ga., team that took the 2006 title. Now, Knox is making his own highlight reel after hitting a two-run homer to help Columbus beat Waipahu, Hawaii, 6-2 on Saturday.
“It’s everything they said it was,” the 13-year-old outfielder said. “It’s like baseball heaven.”
“We don’t talk about the ’06 team,” Georgia manager Randy Morris said. “That team had their time, and these kids need to have their own time.”
Hawaii’s Ty DeSa smacked a two-run homer in the top of the first off Jacob Pate before the Georgia starter settled down and combined with Troy Gilliland on a two-hitter.
In other games, Jacob Jones went deep twice and Hamilton, Ohio, outslugged Toms River, N.J., 16-6; Vancouver, British Columbia, escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the sixth to beat Chitre, Panama, 4-2; and Kaoshiung, Taiwan, routed Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 18-0.
In the nightcap, Casey Manning capped a three-run fifth with a two-run blast to lead Auburn, Wash., past Plymouth, Minn., 5-2 in a losers-out game.
Hawaii faces an elimination game today against New Jersey. But the Hawaiians have some familiarity with pressure-packed World Series games after watching an all-star team from the same local league win the 2008 title.
“We just lost some focus,” Hawaii manager Brian Yoshii said.
