Hawai’i pushes past Pennsylvania in Little League World Series elimination game

Central East Maui (HI) kept the dreams alive of a 5th Little League Baseball World Series title on Tuesday, holding off a last-ditch comeback try by Newtown (PA) in the elimination bracket. Star left-handed pitcher Evan Tavares twirled a gem on the mound once again, nearly going the distance (5.2 IP) while striking out 12 batters and allowing one unearned run. 

Like the previous two victories for Hawai’i, the West Region representatives got on the board first when an RBI sacrifice fly by Kanon Nakama brought home Gauge Pacheco for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st inning. With runners on the corners, Central East Maui added a second run when Hayden Takahashi stopped two-thirds of the way down the 2nd base path on a steal attempt to draw a throw from the catcher, allowing Brextyn Kamaha’o Hong to score from 3rd base for a 2-0 lead after one frame. 

Tavares glided through the Pennsylvania lineup, striking out 12 of the Newtown batters while allowing five total base runners before exiting with two outs in the top of the 6th inning and runner on third. 

Kanon Nakama entered in relief, allowing a run-scoring single and a walk before striking out the final batter looking to clinch the critical victory for Hawai’i, 3-1. The defense for Central East Maui was clean from start to finish as the West representatives tallied six hits to Newtown’s four while committing zero errors to Newtown’s two. 

Hawai’i advances to Wednesday’s elimination bracket semifinals against the winner of the Florida-New York matchup. The West Region squad will be without Tavares on the mound for the remainder of the elimination bracket games but could see the left-hander return to the bump in a potential Little League Baseball World Series Championship game with two more victories.