Chula Vista reaches U.S. title game

By Genaro C. Armas
The Associated Press

E-Mail

reprint or license

Comments (0)

Text Size:

tool goes here

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Nick Conlin scampered home from third on a wild pitch to give Chula Vista an 11-10 win over Warner Robins, Ga., on Thursday night to advance to the U.S. championship game of the Little League World Series.

California will face Texas on Saturday with a berth in the World Series title game at stake.

Little League's final four is now complete. Taiwan beat Curacao 5-2 earlier Thursday to set up the international final.

There was much more drama Thursday night. California rallied from a five-run deficit to tie the game at 10 in the fifth on Andy Rios' two-run homer.

California loaded the bases in the sixth off reliever Conner Smith on two singles and an error to bring up Markus Melin with nobody out.

Smith's 2-1 curve was in the dirt, allowing Conlin to score.

Conlin's teammates surrounded him at home and fell to the ground in joy.

The winning run scored with about eight minutes before Little League's 11 p.m. curfew.

Lost in the late drama was Georgia's comeback from an early four-run deficit, getting nine runs in the fourth to take a 10-5 lead. Smith had a two-run homer in the inning and Georgia also scored on an unusual play at home in which two runs scored on a passed ball and an error.

Pitcher Isaiah Armenta got hurt on the play and had to leave the game. Rios came on in relief and didn't allow a run over the final two-plus innings for the win.

Georgia was eliminated.

• TAIWAN 5, CURACAO 2 — Tawian's starting pitcher Chin Ou limited Curacao's potent bats to send his team to the international final. Ou struck out eight and didn't give up a hit until the fifth inning, while Tang Fu Cheng homered and scored twice.