SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Garrett Gallegos homered and pitched five innings to help Nevada beat Connecticut, 8-2, in their Little League World Series semifinal Saturday, setting up Sunday’s title game against Taiwan.
The Las Vegas team is looking for Nevada’s first title. Taiwan is trying to earn its first since 1996 and No. 18 overall. It lost the title game last year to Florida.
“Really haven’t taken a moment to data dump right now on Taiwan,” Nevada manager T.J. Fescher said. “They’re a great, standout group of kids.”
Taiwan plans to start Lin Chin-Tse, who can throw 80 mph, in the final. “We have leveraged our pitching staff according to my plan,” manager Lai Min-Nan said.
In the United States championship game, Gallegos hit the first pitch of the fourth inning over the rightfield fence against Connecticut, which advanced to the Little League World Series by beating St. James/Smithtown and then won its first four LLWS games, including one against Nevada.
The ultra-aggressive baserunning that had helped Connecticut dominate the opposition in previous games backfired Saturday. While the game still was close, the team from Fairfield had a runner caught off second and tagged out while diving back into the base and another caught in a rundown between third and home after a single to rightfield, with Gallegos making the tag.
Nevada scored four runs in the sixth, highlighted by a two-run single by Cutter Ricafort.
Connecticut starter Luca Pellegrini went 5 1⁄3 innings, giving up five runs, eight hits and a walk. Gallegos allowed two runs (one earned), five hits and two walks in five innings, striking out eight.
Grayson Miranda had a key at-bat in Nevada’s three-run first. With the bases loaded, he battled through an 0-and-2 count, fouling off several pitches. After a wild pitch allowed Nevada’s first run to score, Miranda — on the 12th pitch of his at-bat — drove in two more with a dribbling single into rightfield.
In the international semifinal at Lamade Stadium, Liu Wei-Heng pitched 5 1⁄3 innings to lead Taiwan to a 1-0 win over Aruba.
The game’s only run scored after Chen Shi-Hong opened the third inning with a full-count walk. He advanced on a passed ball and a single and scored on an errant throw. Aruba pitcher Jayderick Wederfoor then escaped a second-and-third, none-out jam.
The team from Taipei recorded its third shutout in four games at the tournament.
With Aruba runners on second and third in the sixth, Chen Qi-Sheng struck out Prinze Kingsale to end it.
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