Lake Charles pitcher in charge

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The more he pitched, the more buzz Kennon Fontenot generated throughout South Williamsport last Saturday.

Making his Little League World Series debut, the Lake Charles, La., pitcher mesmerized not only a powerful Mill Creek, Wash, offense but also millions more either watching live or on television. Feat-uring a fastball clocked near 80 mph, Fontenot dominated the Northwest Region champ, allowing just three hits and striking out 15 in a 5-1 win.

"I can't get over how good a pitcher he is," Washington manager Scott Mahlum said. "I don't know how you hit him when he throws that hard and has that good a command and has a strike-zone that big to work with."

Considering Washington had not lost entering that game and had outscored its opposition, 163-19, it was an amazing performance.

But to those who know Fontenot best, it was just a typical game.

"We've all been around him since he was five years old, so we're used to it," Lake Charles manager Charlie Phillips said. "We might not appreciate it as much as everyone else because we're used to it. We don't think about it too much."

Think about this. Providing outstanding, pitching, hitting and defense, while helping Southwest Region champ Lake Charles reach the U.S. semifinals, Fontenot has established himself as one of the country's best players.

Playing on Little League's largest stage has confirmed that fact. In addition to overpowering Washington on the mound, Fontenot also has sparked Lake Charles with his bat, going 5-for-9 with four runs scored and a RBI.

A slick-fielding shortstop, Fontenot also made no errors and turned an unassisted double play Tuesday against Maryland that stopped a four-run rally.

Fontenot can hit for power, but he also can turn singles into doubles and doubles into triples. The 5-foot-9, 155-pound 12-year-old possesses blazing speed and hit three triples in his first two Series games. Both balls were hit to right field and both appeared to be doubles at best. Fontenot thought otherwise, never breaking stride while easily reaching third base each time.

"He's just a great baseball player," said Brad Jordan, whose sons Bryce and Beau play for Lake Charles. "He knows the game so well. He has a great understanding of the game and you combine that with his talent and he's a special player."

A nationwide audience started learning how special Fontenot is when he saved Lake Charles season while playing on national TV in the Southwest championship. Lake Charles trailed Texas 6-5 and was down to its final out when Fontenot came up.

In the biggest at-bat of his life, Fontenot delivered his biggest hit, crushing a mammoth home run to center field and forcing extra innings. An inning later Lake Charles scored twice, winning 8-7 and capturing the championship.

Fontenot was outstanding throughout regionals, going 10-for-14 and scoring 12 times. He also overpowered opposing offenses, going 2-0, allowing no earned runs and striking out 20 in 9 2/3 innings.

Lake Charles was the first U.S. team to clinch a Series berth. It also was one of the last two to play a Series game so Fontenot was a little extra energized when he took the mound against Washington Saturday.

"I was excited. I wanted to play," Fontenot said. "It was too long. I'm not a person who likes to wait."

Apparently not considering how quickly Fontenot mowed through a Washington offense that pounded out 16 hits and four home runs in its next game, a 15-5 win over Maryland. Fontenot was so good that he struck out the first eight batters he faced and fanned the side four times in five innings.

It wasn't just because Fontenot threw hard either. A hard worker, who also is a standout basketball and football player, Fontenot has become a pure pitcher, complementing his power with effective off-speed pitches and solid command.

"Kennon has always had a live arm ever since he was four or five years old," Lake Charles pitching coach Dave Quinn said. "But he's learning how to pitch now. As we get older and the competition gets better he knows he has to locate better and he did an outstanding job of that (Saturday)."

Fontenot hopes to do the same today when he likely will start in the U.S. semifinal against Southeast champ Tampa, Fla.

Maybe the buzz will grow louder, maybe it won't. Either way, Lake Charles will be happy having Fontenot on its side.

"Kennon is pretty special to us," Phillips said. "We just love Kennon for being Kennon."