Honolulu, Texas will bring on their aces in Little League World Series

Williamsport, Pa. >> Honolulu Little League has won two World Series games in blowout fashion.

It has scored the most runs of any team in the tournament, and sits just two wins away from advancing into the United States Championship.

Standing in its way is a loaded Southwest team (Pearland, Texas) that has been just as tactical with its pitching arrangements as Honolulu. Today will likely feature No. 1 pitchers on both sides at some point as both teams have a full complement of pitching to go with their respective aces.

“We came here to win the tournament,” Southwest Manager Aaron Cummings said. “To throw somebody 65 pitches in the first game and then get three days off is wonderful. It certainly wasn’t like that in regionals.”

Cummings is talking about Corey Kahn, who started in the Southwest’s 8-3 victory over Mid-Atlantic. Kahn threw 66 pitches in that win and gave up four hits, two runs and struck out seven.

Kaiden Shelton entered in the fourth and needed only 33 pitches to record three strikeouts and get the win.

Those players will be tasked with slowing down the hottest lineup at the tournament in Honolulu Little League.

The team that refused to put names on the backs of their jerseys before reaching Williamsport has outscored the opposition 23-1 in two games and has kept every pitcher viable. Honolulu’s offense has hit five home runs in two games.

Those totals included four in a 12-0 romp over the Metro (Massapequa, N.Y.) to reach the game against Southwest.

Jaron Lacaster and Esaiah Wong each hit one, and Kekoa Payanal hit two. Payanal opened the game with his first home run that seemed to energize an already red-hot lineup from Honolulu.

“These kids really work hard at their hitting,” coach Keith Oda said. “We bat about an hour and a half to two hours a day and six days a week. When it comes to games they execute, attacking the pitch and attacking the zone.”

Nine different players recorded hits against Metro as Honolulu seemed to move around the bases with ease.

It will be a tall task for Southwest, which has played just one game compared to Honolulu’s two. It might not seem like much, but in a tournament that could feature thousands of fans in attendance and national television slots, it matters. According to coach Oda, the kids were extremely nervous before their opening game.

During the post-game press conference after Honolulu’s win over Metro, Oda spoke about how loose the kids were for the game. If anyone needed an actual display of their ease at the start, look no further than Payanal’s lead-off home run.

“They are just hard workers,” Oda said. “We don’t always hit the ball well. When it comes together it’s really a sight to behold.”

The offense will be supported by a staple of pitchers that have looked almost unhittable at times.

The world finally got to see Lancaster in Honolulu’s last outing. He pitched three innings and only needed 48 pitches to record seven strikeouts while allowing no hits.

Lancaster will likely make an appearance at some point today. Keith Oda was asked that very question at Friday’s press conference, but would not confirm who would pitch against Southwest.

“Depending on the score and situation we were willing to burn a pitcher for the next game,” Keith Oda said. “If we fall behind, we will bring in other guys. Not concede, but deal with the reality that you have to think about the next game.”

Through a text message with manager Gerald Oda, he said Lancaster would be the probable starter, but a meeting between the coaches would make the final determination.

The determination was both Gerald and Keith Oda elected to go with Cohen Sakamoto, who has thrown the fewest amount of pitches on the team.

Despite not having its manager Gerald Oda for the opening portion of the tournament, the pitching has been handled masterfully by his coaches.

“There’s a saying that you always have to play it one game at a time, but in a tournament, you can’t always do that,” Oda said. “You do have to think about the next, the next several games, because it’s a domino effect.”