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Little League Insider is written and managed by fanatics of youth baseball and fans of Little League. This site is not affiliated with Little League Baseball Incorporated, its international headquarters, or any individual league. Little League Baseball has not in any way endorsed this blog or its content. "Little League Baseball" and "Little League" are registered trademarks of Little League Baseball, Inc., Williamsport, PA 17701, and are used here for identification purposes only.

GREAT LAKES IS MOVING ON! 🔥⚾Hamilton, Ohio knocked off Metro, 5-2, behind another huge performance from Boone Treadway.T...
08/26/2026

GREAT LAKES IS MOVING ON! 🔥⚾

Hamilton, Ohio knocked off Metro, 5-2, behind another huge performance from Boone Treadway.

Treadway gave Great Lakes five strong innings, allowing four hits and two runs while striking out eight. Bryson Williams came on for the sixth and slammed the door with a scoreless inning and another strikeout.

For three innings, Metro starter Jett Bridges kept Hamilton completely off the board. Then everything changed in the fourth.

Great Lakes erupted for FIVE runs, with Jack McAdams driving in one, Bob Frazier bringing home another and Xander Kinkade delivering the biggest blow — a two-run double. Walker Osborne added another RBI as Hamilton turned a scoreless game into a 5-0 advantage in one inning.

Metro refused to disappear. AJ Tapia went 2-for-2, and the Bayonne, New Jersey champs scratched across runs in both the fifth and sixth, but Treadway and Williams never allowed the comeback to fully ignite.

Hamilton finished with seven hits, including two apiece from Josiah Infante, Jack McAdams and Walker Osborne, while its pitching staff combined for nine strikeouts. Ohio’s pitchers consistently attacked the strike zone, while the lineup showed patience at the plate and capitalized when opportunities came.

FINAL: Great Lakes (Hamilton, Ohio) 5, Metro (Bayonne, New Jersey) 2

Great Lakes advances in the losers bracket and will face Alabama tomorrow in another elimination game.

ALABAMA FINDS A WAY — AND THEY’RE MOVING ON 🔥Phenix City, Alabama just keeps surviving.With its biggest arms unavailable...
08/25/2026

ALABAMA FINDS A WAY — AND THEY’RE MOVING ON 🔥

Phenix City, Alabama just keeps surviving.

With its biggest arms unavailable, Alabama handed the ball to Jerry Taylor — and he absolutely gutted it out. Taylor worked 5 innings on 86 pitches, allowing four hits and two runs while navigating four walks to give Southeast exactly what it needed in a 4-2 elimination-game win over Northwest.

And consider how little Taylor had been asked to pitch before today: across Alabama’s entire eight-game state and regional qualifying run, he threw just 3 innings. Two came at states, and his only Southeast Region appearance was one inning.

Then, with the season on the line in Williamsport, he gave them FIVE.

The offense also solved a problem it couldn’t solve the first time around: Frankie McCabe. The Northwest ace had shut Alabama down in their first meeting, but this time Southeast scratched out four runs on four hits and three walks in three innings against him. McCabe entered Williamsport after an absurd qualifying run — 52 strikeouts in 23⅓ innings.

And, of course, Kinley Rasmus made history again. 🎀

Rasmus went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, giving her five hits in Williamsport and breaking the record for the most hits ever by a U.S. girl at the Little League World Series.

Taylor guts it out. Kinley makes history. Alabama gets revenge on McCabe.

And Phenix City lives to play another day. 🔥

08/25/2026

HISTORY FOR KINLEY RASMUS. 🎀🔥

With this single, Rasmus picked up her 5th hit of the Little League World Series, setting a new record for the most hits by a girl in LLWS history.

One swing. One record. One unforgettable run in Williamsport.

FEAR THE BOW. 🎀

08/25/2026

We are not the click bait page. We celebrate the teams and players and the Little League World Series here, but Obstruction is the rule Little League umpires botch the most and they botched it big time here.

The impact/lowering shoulder is separate issue and call. Focus the conversation on whether the runners route to home was impeded before catcher had the ball. Throw “taking him there” is not a thing. That’s fake. A bad throw doesn’t mean you’re allowed to impede the runner.

What Burke says is wrong. You don’t have a right that supersedes the runners right to the base.

FEAR THE BOW. 🎀🔥Kinley Rasmus is making history in Williamsport.⚾ 8 strikeouts in a game — tied for the most ever by a g...
08/25/2026

FEAR THE BOW. 🎀🔥

Kinley Rasmus is making history in Williamsport.

⚾ 8 strikeouts in a game — tied for the most ever by a girl
🔥 14 strikeouts in the LLWS — tied for the all-time girls record
🏆 1 win on the mound — just the second girl ever to win as a pitcher in Williamsport
💥 3 hits — one shy of the U.S. girls record
💪 2 RBI — one shy of the all-time girls record

And she’s not done yet.

One more day. More history on the line.

FEAR. THE. BOW. 🎀

ALABAMA SURVIVES AN ABSOLUTE CLASSIC — 6-5 IN 7 INNINGS! 🔥⚾Neither manager wanted to do it.Both eventually had no choice...
08/25/2026

ALABAMA SURVIVES AN ABSOLUTE CLASSIC — 6-5 IN 7 INNINGS! 🔥⚾

Neither manager wanted to do it.

Both eventually had no choice.

In a game where Phenix City, Alabama and East Side, Pennsylvania were desperately trying to save their aces, the stakes eventually became too high. Kinley Rasmus and Cole Warner both got the call — and what followed was one of the best games of the Little League World Series.

Pennsylvania jumped on Alabama early, scoring twice in the first and three more in the third to build a 5-0 lead. Ryan Donnelly had Alabama exactly where East Side wanted them.

Then the Southeast champs erupted.

Alabama answered with five runs in the bottom of the third, all with two outs. Cooper Champion delivered a two-run single, Easton Allen followed with another two-run knock, and Kinley Rasmus tied it 5-5 with a hard RBI single to left.

And suddenly, the aces became unavoidable.

Alabama turned to Kinley Rasmus, who was magnificent: 4â…” innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks and 6 strikeouts on just 54 pitches.

Those six strikeouts also tied Mo’Ne Davis’ Little League World Series record for strikeouts by a girl, adding another remarkable chapter to Rasmus’ performance.

Pennsylvania countered with Cole Warner, and he was nearly as good. Warner worked 3â…“ innings, struck out six and allowed just one unearned run in extras.

Neither team scored again through six.

Then came Little League’s seventh-inning runner rule.

Urijah Berklite started the bottom of the seventh on second, Casen Smith reached on a perfect bunt, and after an intentional walk loaded the bases, Brooks Cameron ripped a line-drive single into center.

Berklite scored.

Ballgame.

ALABAMA 6, PENNSYLVANIA 5.

What made this game so fascinating was the chess match surrounding the two best arms. Both teams had bigger games ahead of them. Both managers clearly wanted to preserve their ace with 4 games to win in 4 days.

But you have to survive today before you can worry about tomorrow.

Eventually Alabama needed Rasmus.

Pennsylvania needed Warner.

And once they entered, five innings of chaos turned into an ace-on-ace heavyweight fight.

Rasmus ultimately won it — both with the RBI that tied the game and 4⅔ scoreless innings that gave Alabama the opportunity to walk it off.

An incredible baseball game. An incredible comeback.

And Alabama is still alive in Williamsport. 🔥

Anyone watching Panama vs Canada right now? They keep saying there’s no pitch clock in Little League, that’s not true. I...
08/24/2026

Anyone watching Panama vs Canada right now? They keep saying there’s no pitch clock in Little League, that’s not true. It’s 20 seconds from receiving the ball from the catcher.

The Panama catcher flirts with it and goes past it multiple times an inning.

One time a Canada batter was begging for time and the umpire who is sick of the delays wouldnt grant it. Thing was it should’ve been a ball. It was 23 seconds.

IOWA’S PITCHING HAS BECOME THE STORY OF THE LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIESForget the scores. Forget the offense.Through two ...
08/24/2026

IOWA’S PITCHING HAS BECOME THE STORY OF THE LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES

Forget the scores. Forget the offense.

Through two games in Williamsport, what Davenport Northwest, Iowa is doing on the mound is almost absurd.

12 innings.
1 hit allowed.
0 runs allowed.
33 strikeouts.

That last number deserves some context.

There have been 36 outs available to Iowa’s pitchers through two games.

Thirty-three have come by strikeout.

That means opponents have managed to put a ball in play for an out just three times in 12 innings.

And Iowa hasn’t done this against soft competition.

First came Sweetwater Valley, California, a team that arrived in Williamsport 15-1 and had been one of the most dominant teams in the country.

Cooper Thissen overwhelmed them.

5⅓ IP • 0 H • 0 R • 15 K

Sweetwater Valley put exactly one fair ball in play against Thissen. Everything else was a strikeout, walk or foul ball. Anthony Johnson Jr. recorded the final two outs to complete the combined no-hitter and Iowa finished with 17 strikeouts in a six-inning game. (Quad-City Times)

Then came Bayonne, New Jersey.

Bayonne entered Sunday 15-0, having already won twice in Williamsport.

This time it was Johnson.

5⅔ IP • 1 H • 0 R • 1 BB • 15 K

Kannon Kane recorded the final out.

Of course, it was a strikeout.

Another six innings. Another shutout. Another 16 strikeouts.

Put the two performances together:

Cooper Thissen: 5â…“ IP, 0 H, 15 K
Anthony Johnson Jr.: 6â…“ IP, 1 H, 17 K
Kannon Kane: â…“ IP, 0 H, 1 K

IOWA TOTAL: 12 IP • 1 H • 0 R • 33 K

One hit.

Not one run.

And 33 of 36 outs recorded via strikeout.

Thissen and Johnson aren’t just giving Davenport two dominant pitchers. They’re giving Iowa two arms capable of producing the kind of performance that can completely take an opposing offense out of a game.

Thissen did it to California.

Two days later, Johnson essentially did it again to New Jersey.

And that’s what makes Iowa so frightening going forward.

This isn’t one ace carrying a team.

It’s two.

Through the opening days in Williamsport, plenty of players and teams have made statements.

But no unit has been more overwhelming than the Davenport Northwest pitching staff.

Right now, Iowa pitching is the story of the 2026 Little League World Series.

08/23/2026

ANTHONY JOHNSON JR. ANSWERS

The question with Anthony Johnson Jr the last few weeks was always the strike zone.

The stuff was never really in doubt.

AJ came to Williamsport with the arm, the velocity, and the swing-and-miss ability to dominate hitters. But if there was one thing in his numbers throughout Davenport’s run that gave you pause, it was command.

The walks could pile up. The pitch counts could climb. When Johnson was around the plate, he was extremely difficult to hit — but could he consistently live in the strike zone against the best teams in the country?

On Sunday, he gave a pretty emphatic answer.

Against previously unbeaten Bayonne, New Jersey:

5â…” IP
1 H
0 R
1 BB
15 K

Nineteen batters faced.

Fifteen strikeouts. One walk. One hit.

Coming on the heels of Cooper Thissen’s historic performance against Sweetwater Valley, Johnson somehow made Davenport’s pitching look just as terrifying the next time out. Iowa has now allowed ONE HIT in 12 innings at the Little League World Series.

But Johnson wasn’t finished.

Because apparently throwing a one-hit shutout wasn’t enough.

He also hit this ball approximately 300 FEET.

Johnson absolutely obliterated a home run to give Davenport some breathing room, finishing with three RBI and two runs scored in the 6-0 victory.

We’ve known about the raw talent.

We’ve known about the arm.

We’ve known about the power — he had already homered during Davenport’s Midwest Region run.

The question was what Anthony Johnson Jr. would look like if he harnessed all of it at once.

This is what it looks like.

15 strikeouts.
1 walk.
1 hit allowed.
0 runs.

And a 300-foot bomb.

That’s about as complete a Little League World Series performance as you’re going to see.

⚾ NEVADA 5, WASHINGTON 0 — Paseo Verde Breaks Through Late to Stay UnbeatenFor four innings, this looked like it might c...
08/23/2026

⚾ NEVADA 5, WASHINGTON 0 — Paseo Verde Breaks Through Late to Stay Unbeaten

For four innings, this looked like it might come down to one swing.

But it was a bunch of bunts that actually opened the game up.

Logan Edwards and Michael Kleiner opened the fifth with back-to-back bunt singles. James Esber followed with another single, and a SoundView error allowed Edwards to score the game’s first run.

Adrian Cruz made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly before Payton Hinsen dropped down another bunt single, bringing Esber home and making it 3-0.

And the Nevada team wasn’t finished.

Carsynn Meyer singled home Hinsen for the fourth run, then Owen Guzman singled before Hudson Cowley capped the five-run inning with a hit to left, with another SoundView error helping the final run come across.

Carsynn, the 26th girl to play in the Little League World Series, also became the 6th girl to ever record an RBI.

Brooks McFarland was outstanding on the mound, holding SoundView to just two hits over five scoreless innings in Paseo Verde’s 5-0 winners-bracket victory. McFarland struck out five before Logan Edwards finished it with a perfect sixth, striking out two.

SoundView starter Kasen Workman kept Paseo Verde off the board through four innings and piled up seven strikeouts, keeping the Nevada offense scoreless until the bottom of the fifth.

Paseo Verde finished with 11 hits from nine different players, with Guzman the only player collecting two. SoundView managed just two hits — one each from Paxton Hansen and Winston Weaver.

Workman’s final line doesn’t tell the whole story: 4⅔ IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 7 K. He went toe-to-toe with Paseo Verde for four innings before the fifth finally got away from SoundView.

But the story of the game was McFarland. With a spot deeper in the winners bracket on the line, he gave Nevada’s Paseo Verde exactly what it needed:

**5 IP | 2 H | 0 R | 4 BB | 5 **

McFarland issued 3 of his 4 walks in the first inning but pitched around the bases loaded trouble and seemed like a new pitcher the rest of the outing.

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