WILLIAMSPORT, PA. >> With the first three days of competition at the Little League Baseball World Series completed, the grind has officially begun for teams.
Heading into Monday’s matchup against Paseo Verde of Henderson, Nev., Central East Maui Little League will be without ace Evan Tavares for the first time since landing in Williamsport.
The game will be nationally televised at 9 a.m. on ESPN.
“Everybody but Evan is available,” manager Daniel Bolduc said following the team’s 5-0 victory Friday over Hinsdale, Ill., of the Great Lakes Region. “We have a lot of pitchers on our team.”
Seconds after delivering the statement, Bolduc turned to Tavares, put a hand on his shoulder, and said, “we only have one of this guy.”
Bolduc said they’re were undecided who would start on the mound.
Maui will face a difficult test against the Mountain Region representative. Henderson posted 11 hits in its 9-1 win Thursday over South Shore, Staten Island, N.Y., of the Metro Region. The top of the order proved to be a strength. The first five hitters accounted for six hits, six runs and five RBIs.
“They’re all comfortable, they’re all confident,” Henderson manager Adam Johnson said. “No one is looking to do too much at the plate, which is a big advantage for us.”
Bolduc was asked about the decision to keep Tavares in for Central East Maui’s win over Great Lakes. “I didn’t want to go through that again,” Bolduc said, referencing Maui’s 3-1 win over New England. The bases were loaded with a single out before Eassie Miller snagged a line drive and touched third to end the game.
“We left him in until 65,” Bolduc said. “That puts him at three days’ rest.”
Kanon Nakama, Kamalei Leynes-Santos and Brextyn Kamaha’o Hong all pitched in the opening game. Nakama saw the most innings. Over 2 1/3 innings pitched, Nakama struck out four but walked three. He didn’t give up a hit over the stretch, but was credited with the only earned run for New England.
Kellen Takamura closed out Friday’s win by securing the final two outs. He gave up a hit and struck out one batter.
Central East Maui’s offense hasn’t clicked yet. The team scored three in the first inning against New England, producing three hits to open the game. The strong start faded, as the team recorded just three hits the rest of the way.
Central East Maui was opportunistic against the Great Lakes. The majority of its scoring came from hit batters and a fielding error that scored two runs. Despite the up-and-down production, Maui is sitting at 2-0 with an offense primed for output.
“Two wins will give them more confidence, especially in the batter’s box,” Bolduc said. “If we can fix that area this team can compete with anybody.”
The bottom of the order has been good for Maui. Matthew Yang has been the team’s most productive hitter over two games. From the No. 11 spot, Yang has three hits, including a double in the opening game. He also finished with two of the team’s three hits Friday against Great Lakes.
“Our whole team can hit,” Bolduc said. “Honestly, I’m still waiting for that moment to happen.”
Central East Maui will need to produce against Henderson if it wants to advance. The Nevada team looked explosive in its opening win over South Shore.
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Saturday
Game 13 — Surrey, British Columbia 12, Guayama, Puerto Rico 5
Game 14 — Staten Island, N.Y. 6, Sioux Falls, S.D. 3
Game 15 — Santa Cruz, Aruba 8, Brno, Czech Republic 3
Game 16 — Salem, N.H. 5, Newtown, Pa. 0
Today
Game 17 — Hinsdale, Ill. vs. Staten Island, N.Y., 3 a.m. (ESPN)
Game 18 — Matamoros, Mexico vs. Surrey, British Columbia, 5 a.m. (ESPN)
Game 19 — Salem, N.H. vs. Puyallup, Wash., 7 a.m. (KITV)
Game 20 — Santa Cruz, Aruba vs. Sydney, New South Wales, 8 a.m. (ESPN)
Monday
Game 21 — Tokyo vs. Barquisimeto, Venezuela, 7 a.m. (ESPN)
Game 22 — Henderson, Nev. vs. Central East Maui, 9 a.m. (ESPN)
Game 23 — Taoyuan City, Chinese Taipei vs. Santa Clara, Cuba, 11 a.m. (ESPN)
Game 24 — Lake Mary, Fla. vs. Boerne, Texas, 1 p.m. (ESPN)
Tuesday
Game 25 — Tokyo/Barquisimeto, Venezuela loser vs. Santa Cruz, Aruba/Sydney, New South Wales winner, 7 a.m. (ESPN)
Game 26 — Henderson, Nev./Central East Maui loser vs. Salem, N.H./Puyallup, Wash. winner, 9 a.m. (ESPN)
Game 27 — Matamoros, Mexico/ Surrey, British Columbia winner vs. Taoyuan City, Chinese Taipei/Santa Clara, Cuba loser, 11 a.m. (ESPN)
Game 28 — Hinsdale, Ill./Staten Island, N.Y. winner vs. Lake Mary, Fla./Boerne, Texas loser, 1 p.m. (ESPN)
