Eight Is Enough for Pottsville

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Irvin Schappell has been coaching Little League in Pottsville, Pa., for 42 years and he knows the longer a game stays scoreless, the tougher it gets for all concerned.

His team scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the eighth inning for a 1-0 victory Monday over Dyer, Ind., in a preliminary game at the Little League World Series.

“When you’re playing 0-0 for that long, everybody’s afraid they’re going to make that mistake that costs them the game,” Schappell said.

In the bottom of the eighth, the second extra inning, Dyer committed two big mistakes.

Brian Doyle reached on a bunt that went all the way to shortstop Ryan Keelan and went to second when Keelan threw about three feet over the first baseman’s head.

Randy Hartog walked the next two batters and threw over his catcher’s head on his first pitch to Jeff Ridge, allowing Doyle to score easily.

“I wasn’t tired. The ball just got away from me,” said Hartog, who struck out 14.

Alex Miranda, who struck out 13 for Pottsville, got out of a big jam in the seventh.

He appeared to be distracted after an error and a hit batsman put runners at first and second with one out, but he struck out Joshua Haun and threw out Garrett Wiejak on a comebacker.

It was the first extra-inning game at the series since Aug. 24, 1995.

Miranda hit a 200-foot single off the outfield fence in the sixth and went to second on a wild pitch by Hartog. He was stranded when Ridge struck out.

An inning earlier, pinch-runner Eric Hufnagle reached third after Michael Pilo’s double and a sacrifice, but Hartog struck out Justin Marx.

The teams with the two best records in the international and U.S. divisions will meet in semifinals Thursday night, with the winners advancing to Saturday’s championship. Pottsville plays Bradenton, Fla., on Tuesday, and Dyer plays Mission Viejo.

In Monday’s international games, Guadalupe, Mexico defeated the Arabian-American Little League, 3-0, and Yokohama, Japan downed Surrey, British Columbia, 5-1.

Adrian Luna threw a two-hitter and hit a two-run homer as Guadalupe, Mexico, defeated the Arabian-American Little League 3-0 in the first game in the international division. Alejandro Robles hit a solo home run for Mexico, which plays international favorite Japan on Tuesday night.

Arabian-American, primarily a team of children of U.S. oil workers and military personnel, has played in the series in seven of the last 11 years but never has reached the championship game.

Japan’s Masayoshi Izumi threw a one-hitter and allowed only two runners past first base while striking out 10. Ryoma Hida homered for Japan.

Chris Carlson singled to left in the sixth for Canada’s only hit, and Kyle McElwee, who had walked ahead of Carlson, scored on a wild pitch.