Little leaguer hit by ball is quickest to console pitcher who hit him
At a 2022 Little League World Series game in Texas, Tulsa player Isaiah Jarvis took a hit to the head and then consoled the pitcher who hit him.
USA TODAY
After the first four teams were eliminated from the 2024 Little League World Series (LLWS) on Saturday, three more will went home on Sunday.
The elimination bracket is underway in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. In this double-elimination tournament, the teams that lost a game in the winners’ bracket can still advance to the competition’s semifinals — if they avoid another loss.
On Saturday, the Metro and Mid-Atlantic Regions advanced in the United States side of the elimination bracket with 6-3 and 5-0 wins, respectively. In the international bracket, Canada and Aruba (the Caribbean Region winner) moved on with their respective 12-5 and 8-3 victories.
Follow along with USA TODAY’s coverage for Sunday’s four elimination games, featuring live updates and highlights from Williamsport:
Little League World Series: What advice does Little League’s Coach of the Year have for your kid? ‘Let’s EAT!’
The only other game happening today was Australia vs. Aruba. The game was ultimately suspended due to the weather though. As it stands, Aruba leads 3-0.
Wexler got off to a hot start in the top of the fourth, striking out the first batter he faced. The cleanup hitter, Kohen Wills grounded out to third on the first pitch he saw.
Washington was down to its final hitter, Jeff Taylor. Taylor would work the count full, but Wexler would get Taylor swinging with a curveball inside. Pennsylvania has now won two straight games after losing their first contest. They’ll take on the loser of the Hawaii-Nevada game happening on August 19.
12-2 the final, Pennsylvania over Washington.
After a long, long weather delay, Pennsylvania was able to add another run thanks to two walks to kickstart play again. That’s an enormous run considering Pennsylvania can win the game after the fourth if they are leading by 10 or more runs. Pennsylvania leads 12-2 after three.
Another weather delay prevents Pennsylvania from taking advantage of their situation, runners on second and third with only one out. Pennsylvania leads 11-2 in the bottom of the third.
After a long weather delay, Pennsylvania picked right back up where they left off, tallying four runs before Washington even started warming up another pitcher. Even after four runs, bringing their lead up to 10-2, Pennsylvania still had the bases loaded with only one out. A pass ball would make it 11-2.
The mercy rule does not kick in until the fourth inning, so even if Pennsylvania is unable to score another run, they will still have an inning to end the game early.
As the New York Yankees hang out with the kids in the stands, rain is coming down. The game has been delayed for the time being. Pennsylvania is up 6-1.
Lightning continued striking near the stadium even 30 minutes after the initial delay, pushing the time back even further.
For the second inning in a row, Pennsylvania would get the bases loaded with no outs. That pulled Stolmeier out of the game. In his stead came Rawly Jennings, trying to get his team out of the mess with minimal damage.
Jennings was surrendered a run right off the bat after a breaking ball in the dirt reached the backstop and scored the runner from third. A single from Tyler Wexler would drive in another run, putting men on first and third with no outs. Jennings first out would come via a pass ball, where the catcher was able to get the ball back to home plate before the runner from third scored. The final out of the inning would be recorded the same way. Pennsylvania was able to do some damage though, extending their lead to five in the second inning.
Pennsylvania leads 6-1.
Washington was able to get their leadoff runner on base once again, and even got him to third base with just one out following a wild pitch and groundout to second. A sac fly from Stolmeier would score the runner, trimming Pennsylvania’s lead to 4-1.
This winner-takes-all game between the Mid-Atlantic (Pennsylvania) and Northwest (Washington) teams got off to hot starts for both sides. In the first inning, both teams got their leadoff hitters on base, but only Pennsylvania was able to bring them around for a run. Pennsylvania was actually able to get everyone home.
Following a pass ball with the bases loaded, right fielder Greyson Gage would single to center, driving in another two runs. Pennsylvania led 3-0 and had only recorded one out. Washington pitcher, Easton Stolmeier surrendered another double to the wall, allowing Gage to score, extending Pennsylvania’s lead even further. Stolmeier would settle down, retiring the next two batters, but the damage had been done.
Pennsylvania leads 4-0 after one inning.
Against Mexico, Canada was unable to recapture the magic of their 12-run second inning from their previous game. Mexico took an early, three-run lead in the first inning and never looked back. Once again, Mexican pitching shined as Hernandez, Aguilar and Balderas allowed only two hits on the day.
Mexico advances in the elimination bracket with the win. It will play the loser of Monday’s Chinese-Taipei vs. Cuba game on Tuesday. Canada is eliminated after losing its second game in the tournament.
Canadian left fielder Kayden Krestanovich makes a running grab into foul territory to put away Ulises Ortiz, but Guerrero takes advantage of the tough play. He takes off from second and rounds third to score on the deep fly ball. It’s 8-0 Mexico entering the bottom of the sixth.
Aguilar walks a batter then strikes out the next before Balderas relieves him in the fifth inning. He’s the third Mexican pitcher of the day, and he finishes off the inning with a ground out and swinging strikeout.
The Canadian reliever allows one batter to reach via walk but is otherwise perfect with a fly out and a couple of ground outs. Mexico is unable to tack on more runs to their 7-0 lead.
Canada loads the bases with a couple of singles and a walk, but Aguilar induces a grounder back to himself. He throws it home to keep the shutout intact for Mexico, which still leads, 7-0.
Bobiles, the second Canadian batter of the fourth inning, gets his team’s first hit of the game on a single to left field.
It’s 7-0 for the Mexican team after Santiago Sotelo scores on a double play. He doubled to start the inning then advanced on a throwing error one batter later.
Canada has had a few runners reach base via walk and error, but they’re still without a hit. Mexico, which threw a combined no-hitter in the first game of this tournament, is halfway to another.
Following a walk and popout to start the third inning, Mexico makes a pitching change. It brings in Aguilar to replace Hernandez on the mound.
It’s 6-0 Mexico after a ball four from Popovich gets away from him, bringing home Hernandez from third base.
The Mexican shortstop follows up a walk and sac bunt with an RBI single to right field. The next batter, pitcher Raul Hernandez Jr., helps himself out with an RBI triple off of the right field wall to score Guerrero. It’s 5-0 Mexico with a runner on third and one out in the top of the third.
Canada couldn’t get anything going in the bottom of the second inning. Mexico’s starting pitcher got three strikeouts – all swinging – in order against the heart of the Canadian lineup.
Canada goes to their bullpen to start the second inning, and it pays off. Popovich induces a flyout and two groundouts from Mexico’s lineup to finish a perfect inning in 12 pitches.
Hernandez needed nearly 30 pitches to get through the first inning. Thanks to some strong defense from his infielders, Mexico’s starting pitcher makes it out of the frame without any scoring trouble.
Second baseman Gerardo Cisneros fields the ground ball perfectly before executing a quick flip to shortstop Antonio Guerrero. Guerrero then fires a bullet throw to first base to get the batter out in the 4-6-3 double play.
Canada’s leadoff hitter, Xavier Cabalfin, battles in his first plate appearance of the day. He fights off four consecutive foul balls on a full count before drawing a walk with a high ball four.
Mexico has extended its lead to 3-0 after a one-out base hit to left field from Longoria. He advances to second base on the throw home by the left fielder.
An infield single, bunt single and passed ball later, Guerrero comes around to score the first run of the game. Mexico has runners on second and third base with no outs in the top of the first inning.
Mexico takes on Canada in the second elimination game of the day. Leadoff batter Antonio Guerrero starts things off with a double to the gap in left field.
Scarangelo managed to keep the shutout intact by inducing a popout to shortstop Alex Torres in shallow left field. New York wins, 4-0, and stays alive in the elimination bracket. They’ll play the loser of Monday’s Florida-Texas matchup on Tuesday. Illinois’ journey at the LLWS is over with its second loss.
Chan snaps a streak of 13 consecutive outs by his team’s hitters with a line drive up the middle. He advances to second on a passed ball, and Illinois has something going with two outs in the sixth.
The third baseman swaps places with Ruggiero and takes the mound to try to close out the game. He induces a groundout to himself on the first play of the final frame, then strikes out the next batter swinging.
One inning after New York’s offensive explosion, Illinois’ reliever gets the heart of the lineup to sit down in order. It’s still 4-0 in favor of New York entering the final inning.
One half inning after his 2-RBI single added to his team’s lead, Scarangello perfectly fields a tough hop on a ground ball from Illinois first baseman Jimmy Macri. He finishes the play by throwing him out at first to keep the inning perfect for Ruggiero.
After New York’s Dylan DeGaeta singles on a bloop hit to right field, Kipnis, Illinois’ right fielder, throws Scarangello out attempting to advance to third base. The nice play gets Illinois out of the inning, but New York’s four runs in the frame put them ahead.
The third baseman knocks an opposite-field line drive to right field for a 2-RBI base hit. It’s 4-0 New York.
Following New York’s first run, Illinois turned to the bullpen in the fourth inning. Wanless got an out against his first batter, but it was a sacrifice fly from Alex Torres. McLean scores, and it’s 2-0 New York.
New York’s center fielder pulls the fifth pitch of his at-bat between Illinois’ third baseman and shortstop, bringing home a run for his team. It’s now 1-0 New York with runners on second and third after Curro advanced on defensive indifference.
Second baseman Emiliano Nepomuceno smothered a hot-shot grounder to his side of the infield, looked the runner back to third base and got the batter out at first. On what looked like a certain run or two for New York, Illinois instead recorded the first out of the inning.
A deep base hit resulted in extra bases for Stephen Grippo, who ended up at second base after a fielding error by Illinois’ right fielder. Nicholas McLean moved Grippo over to third base with a bloop hit over the second baseman one batter later. New York has runners on first and third with no outs in the fourth.
New York’s starting pitcher got three straight groundouts – two to the second baseman and one back to the pitcher – to get through the top of Illinois’ lineup unscathed. This game is still knotted at 0.
Neither team has managed to score a run in the first half of the first game of the day, though each has multiple hits. This elimination game will come down to its final three frames.
2024 Little League World Series: Time, TV, streaming and how to watch
All 39 games of the Little League World Series will be broadcast on one of ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC, with streaming options including ESPN+, the ESPN app and Fubo, which offers a free trial. Coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET.
Stream the Little League World Series with Fubo (free trial)
The LLWS championship game is slated for Sunday, Aug. 25, at 3 p.m. ET. The third-place consolation game will take place the same day at 10 a.m. ET.
The international and U.S. championship games — which serve as the semifinals to Sunday’s championship game — will take place on Saturday, Aug. 24 at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. ET, respectively.
The Little League World Series is split into two brackets: the United States bracket and the international bracket. Each bracket will play out their own individual tournaments, with the winner from each bracket facing each other in the championship.
The U.S. and international brackets are double-elimination brackets, meaning a team must lose twice before it is eliminated from the tournament.
Beyond the Little League World Series, Sunday will also see the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers face off in the MLB Little League Classic, which will take place at Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport at 7 p.m. ET. ESPN and ESPN2 will both broadcast the game.
All times Eastern
- Illinois vs. New York, 9 a.m. | Lamade Stadium | ESPN
- Mexico vs. Canada, 11 a.m. | Volunteer Stadium | ESPN
- Washington vs. Pennsylvania, 1 p.m. | Lamade Stadium | ABC
- Australia vs. Aruba, 2 p.m. | Volunteer Stadium | ESPN
- Great Lakes – Hinsdale Little League – Hinsdale, Illinois
- Metro – South Shore Little League – Staten Island, New York
- Mid-Atlantic – Council Rock Newtown Little League – Newtown, Pennsylvania
- Midwest – Sioux Falls Little League – Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Mountain – Paseo Verde Little League – Henderson, Nevada
- New England – Salem Little League – Salem, New Hampshire
- Northwest – South Hill Little League – Puyallup, Washington
- Southeast – Lake Mary Little League – Lake Mary, Florida
- Southwest – Boerne Little League – Boerne, Texas
- West – Central East Maui Little League – Wailuku, Hawaii
- Asia-Pacific – Kuei-Shan Little League – Taoyuan City, Chinese Taipei
- Australia – Hills Little League – Sydney, New South Wales
- Canada – Whalley Little League – Surrey, British Columbia
- Caribbean – Aruba Center Little League – Santa Cruz, Aruba
- Cuba – Santa Clara Little League – Villa Clara, Cuba
- Europe-Africa – South Czech Republic Little League – Brno, Czech Republic
- Japan – Johoku Little League – Tokyo, Japan
- Latin America – Cardenales Little League – Barquisimeto, Venezuela
- Mexico – Matamoros Little League – Tamaulipas, Mexico
- Puerto Rico – Radames Lopez Little League – Guayama, Puerto Rico
Here is the full 2024 LLWS bracket, courtesy of the Little League World Series:
Teams from the United States have dominated the Little League World Series as of late, having won each of the last five dating back to 2017. The last international team to win the tournament was Japan, who beat Lufkin, Texas 12-2 in just five innings in the 2017 final.
List of past winners:
Results date back to 2010 LLWS.
- 2023: El Segundo, Calif.
- 2022: Honolulu
- 2021: Taylor, Mich.
- 2020: Canceled due to COVID
- 2019: River Ridge, La.
- 2018: Honolulu
- 2017: Tokyo
- 2016: Maine-Endwell, N.Y.
- 2015: Tokyo
- 2014: Seoul, South Korea
- 2013: Tokyo
- 2012: Tokyo
- 2011: Huntington Beach, Calif.
- 2010: Tokyo
The seventh annual MLB Little League Classic will take place on Sunday, Aug. 18 at 7 p.m. ET with the New York Yankees taking on the Detroit Tigers in Williamsport. The game will air on ESPN.
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