The all-star team from the Chula Vista-based Park View Little League is in a must-win situation as it faces its counterpart from the McAllister Park American Little League Saturday in an elimination game in the Little League World Series.
Park View lost 5-1 to the all-star team representing the Johnston Little League of Johnston, Iowa, on Friday and needs a victory today to remain in contention for the world championship. A loss today would relegate Park View to the consolation bracket, ineligible to win the title.
The game at Howard J. Lamade Stadium in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania is set to begin at 5 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time and will be televised live by ESPN.
McAllister Park American of San Antonio, Texas, the Southwest Region champion, lost 11-1 Friday to the all-star team from the Bowling Green Eastern Little League of Bowling Green, Kentucky, the Great Lakes Region champion.
A victory today would advance Park View into an elimination game Monday against the loser of Sunday's game between the all-star teams from the Maine-Endwell Little League of Endwell, New York, the Mid-Atlantic Region champion, and the Goodlettsville Baseball Little League of Goodlettsville, Tennessee.
A loss would mean Park View would next play Tuesday in a consolation game against the loser of today's game between the all-star teams from Tokyo's Chofu Little League, the Japanese champion, and the Pariba Little League of Willemstad, Curacao, the Caribbean champion.
Park View was limited to four hits by three Johnston pitchers as an 11-game winning streak ended in its opening game of the Little League World Series before a crowd announced at 12,171 at Howard J. Lamade Stadium.
Park View, the West Region champion, scored the game's first run. Daniel Leon singled leading off the top of second. Anthony Soto followed with a single, advancing Leon to second. Leon went to third on a wild pitch and scored on JuJu Padilla's sacrifice fly.
Park View was limited to two hits for the remainder of the six-inning game. Soto led off the fourth with a single, but Josh Larson, the second Johnston pitcher, retired the next three hitters, striking out two, to end the
inning.
Ali Camarillo doubled leading off the top of the fifth, moved to third on a passed ball, but Larson retired the next three batters to end the inning.
A walk and hit batter gave Park View runners on first and second with two outs in the sixth, but Michael Siemer struck out Luis Guevara to end the game.
Johnston, the Midwest Region champion, combined back-to-back singles by Kaiden Dinh, a hit batter, a ground out and error for two runs in the fourth to take a 3-1 lead.
J.T. Garcia homered leading off Johnston's half of the fifth. Jack Emanuel singled one out later, went to second on a wild pitch, moved to third on Dinh's ground out and scored on a second wild pitch.
Johnston scored its first run in the third. Garcia singled with two outs and scored on Michael Siemer's double.
Leon, the Park View starter, was charged with the loss, allowing five runs, four earned, and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings, striking out seven and walking two.
