Little league: Curacao, Japan advance in extra-inning thrillers

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Down to his last strike with his team on the brink of elimination, Deion Rosalia stayed calm and settled himself at the plate.

The next pitch, a fastball, looked inviting, and the 13-year-old swung.

When the ball sailed over the right-field fence, Rosalia had a three-run homer and Willemstad, Curacao, had a stunning 4-2 extra-inning win Thursday over Maracaibo, Venezuela, at the Little League World Series.

Curacao advances to Saturday’s international championship game against Tokyo, Japan, which beat Taichung, Taiwan, 4-3 in another extra-inning thriller. Junsho Kiuchi’s homer to left ended it in the bottom of the 10th.

Venezuela and Taiwan are eliminated.

Also Thursday, Lubbock, Texas, beat Lake Oswego, Ore., 8-2 to advance to the U.S. championship game against Warner Robins, Ga., which routed Chandler, Ariz., 16-6. Oregon and Arizona are eliminated.

In the Texas-Oregon game, Bryndan Arredondo hit a three-run homer in the third as undefeated Lubbock (3-0) rallied from an early deficit to defeat Lake Oswego (2-2).

“Oh yeah, I knew it was out,” Arredondo said about his blast.

Calvin Hermanson’s two-run single in the second gave Oregon a 2-0 lead before Texas scored four runs in the third.

Reliever Garrett Williams allowed Hermanson’s single, but was otherwise dominant. Williams finished with 11 Ks against Oregon.

In the Georgia-Arizona game, Payton Purvis hit two, two-run blasts, including one in a seven-run fifth inning that ended the game early because of Little League’s 10-run rule.