SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — The Little League teams from Huntington Beach, Calif., and Billings, Mont., shared hopes of making it to the World Series when they shared the same dorm in regional play.
Well, they both made it to Little League’s biggest stage — but only California will play for a world championship.
Starter Nick Pratto struck out 10 and had three RBIs at the plate, and California built an early three-run lead to cruise to an 11-2 victory over Montana and the U.S. title on a cloudy, dreary Saturday at Lamade Stadium.
California will return to the same field today to play for the World Series crown against Japan, which took the international bracket earlier Saturday with a 5-2 win over Mexicali, Mexico. Today’s game time was moved up three hours to 10 a.m. MDT in hopes of avoiding precipitation from Hurricane Irene.
Starter Yoshiki Suzuki struck out seven, and Kaito Suzuki scored two runs and had an RBI single for Hamamatsu City, which hopes to defend the title won last season by a team from Tokyo.
“When I was younger, I used to watch the Little League World Series on TV,” said Dylan Palmer, 12, who hit a two-run shot to right in the second for Huntington Beach. “It was like, ‘Wow, I really want to be there some day,’ and now we’re there.”
Three nights after losing to Montana 1-0, California won its second straight elimination game and a rematch with the boys from Billings. The two squads became fast friends after rooming together during regional play, with players from each side wondering what a trip to South Williamsport would be like.
“I think they did a better job of taking advantage of their opportunities, unlike Wednesday,” Montana manager Gene Carlson said.
