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SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Kalen Pimentel smacked the first pitch from Westbrook, Maine, reliever Joey Royer over the center field fence for a grand slam in the fifth inning to lead Rancho Bueno Vista (2-0), the West winners, to a 7-3 victory Sunday in the Little League World Series.
Pimentel, who had tied a Little League World Series record for a six-inning game with 18 strikeouts on Saturday, came up with the bases loaded Sunday after Nathan Lewis reached first because of an error.
Pimentel then hit his home run that landed a quarter of the way up the grassy hill beyond the outfield wall. Chants of “RBV! RBV!” cascaded down from the crowd.
The soft-spoken Pimentel said that his manager, Marty Miller, told him “I don’t care where you hit it, as long as you put it in play.”
Michael Mowatt homered to straightaway center for Westbrook (0-2), the New England champs.
On Saturday, Lafayette, La., rallied to overcome Westbrook 3-2.
Connor Toups provided the big hit for Lafayette, singling to left past a drawn-in infield to score two runs. After the game, Toups didn’t say much – he’s only 11, after all – but he did smile a lot.
“I went up there looking to get a hit. He threw me a fastball,” said Toups, who at 4-foot-10 and 78 pounds is one of the smallest boys on Lafayette (1-0), the Southwest champs. “It felt good.”
Westbrook starter Ryan Murphy held Lafayette scoreless until the sixth when Murphy failed to retire a batter. On Toups’ winning hit, Jace Conrad raced around from second base and pumped his fist after sliding home.
Nick Finocchiaro and Michael Mowatt homered for Westbrook.
Both teams played great defense. In the first inning, with a runner on first, Lafayette second baseman Brenn Conrad turned a double play by grabbing a relay toss barehanded, stepping on second and then throwing to first for the second out.
“It was like if we don’t hit it over the fence they were going to make the play,” Westbrook manager Richard Knight said.
In other contests on Sunday, West Oahu of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, downed Davenport (Iowa) Northwest, 7-3; Guam shut out Canada 5-0; and Japan blanked the defending champs, Curacao, 9-0; and Lafayette, La., overcame a seven-run deficit for a 9-8 victory over Owensboro (Ky.)
Westbrook plays Owensboro on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
Lafayette, Rancho Bueno Vista and West Oahu all clinched berths into the next round of the 10-day tournament.
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