EL SEGUNDO (CNS) — The all-star team from El Segundo will seek a berth in Saturday’s U.S. championship game of the Little League World Series when it faces its counterpart from the Northeast Seattle Little League Thursday in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
El Segundo fended off elimination for the second consecutive game with a 5-3 victory over the all-star team from the Nolensville (Tennessee) Little League Wednesday with Louis Lappe hitting a tie-breaking two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning in the six-inning game.
El Segundo had been relegated to the elimination bracket of the modified double-elimination tournament with a 3-1 loss to the all-star team from the Needville (Texas) Little League, the Southwest Region champion, on Monday.
Northeast Seattle, the Northwest Region champion, lost 1-0 to Needville earlier Wednesday.
Needville’s victory Wednesday gave it a berth in the U.S. championship game.
El Segundo and Northeast Seattle have one other common opponent, Nolensville, which lost to Northeast Seattle, 6-2, on Monday.
The 4 p.m. game will be televised by ESPN.
Lappe and Brody Brooks were both 3-for-3 Wednesday, with Brooks scoring three runs and Lappe two. Brooks was also credited with the save, retiring all three batters he faced in the sixth with one strike out.
Jaxon Kalish was 2-for-3, including a two-run triple in the third that increased El Segundo’s lead to 3-0.
Nolensville tied the score with two outs in the top of the fifth of the six-inning game at Howard J. Lamade Stadium, as Corbin Cyphers stole home at the back end of a delayed double steal.
Lucas McCauley hit a two-run homer for Nolensville, the Southeast Region champion, in the top of the fourth.
El Segundo combined singles by Brooks and Lappe and an error for a run in the first inning.
El Segundo, the West Region champion, out-hit Nolensville, 11-4.
Max Baker, the third of four El Segundo pitchers, was credited with the victory, allowing one run and two hits in one inning with one strikeout.
Nash Carter, the second of Nolensville’s two pitchers, was charged with the loss, allowing two runs and four hits in two innings, striking out two and walking one.
The loss eliminated Nolensville.