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Curacao upsets Chinese Taipei to win International championship at LLWS

The confidence Curacao manager Zaino Everett had in his team never wavered.

Even after his team lost 9-1 to Chinese Taipei, he knew that if his team could play near-perfect baseball and execute the way it had been leading up to this point, it could make it to their second straight World Series championship.

He laid out his game plan, which consisted of keeping the mistakes to a minimum and the game low-scoring and close, before claiming Chinese Taipei, the expected tournament champion, was not untouchable.

"You just have to go out and do the job, put the ball in the play and put runs on the board," reiterated Everett on Saturday while discussing their opponent. "You have to put pressure on them and score first, (make them) play from behind. I didn't see them play from behind."

And he effectively proved himself right on both fronts.

At Lamade Stadium on Saturday, his team played near-perfect baseball on its way to an upset 2-0 victory over Chinese Taipei. Doubters turned to believers, as Pablo Little League once again became international champions.

"I'm very proud of these guys," said Everett. "We kept the game close always, went up in the fourth and went for six outs. We made one error, but we didn't pause the game or put pressure. We do our best to keep all those out. And here we are. Champs. International champs."

It didn't matter that his team narrowly avoided a mercy-rule finish in the game that preceded it. It didn't matter that Chinese Taipei had outscored its opponents 25-1 heading into Saturday's matchup.

Everett's confidence had always exuberated through his team, a fact that became abundantly clear in the win. In all aspects of the game, from the plate to the mound, to the infield and outfield, this team carried an impressive amount of poise.

"They (Chinese Taipei) were feeling untouchable and (we) just had to play perfect baseball," said Everett. "We came today with a strategy to go with Helmijr and that was the key to the game."

When it came down to deciding who Curaçao would start at pitcher, Everett went all the way back to Chinese Taipei's first bout with Canada, where it seemed to struggle against left-handed pitchers and decided to go with left-handed pitcher Helmir Helmijr.

He proceeded to come close to pitching a no-hitter, allowing just one hit and three walks through 5 1/3 innings from the mound. He faced 21 batters and struck out four of them, continuing to exemplify poise until a flyout to center field concluded his game.

"I was a little nervous, but I felt good and threw strikes like the coach told me," said Helmijr through an interpreter. "I kept calm and just did my best."

And though Chinese Taipei mostly held Curaçao at bay offensively, it took just one instance where it got into a good position to put up those necessary runs.

With ace pitcher Fan Chen-Jun in the game, shortstop/pitcher Jay-Dlynn Wiel and left fielder Nasir El-Ossaïs each hit singles to put two runners on base. Wiel successfully stole third as Curacao occupied corners. Then, a bunt from Joshua Acosta Fernandez sparked the right level of chaos in Chinese Taipei's infield, which allowed both Wiel and Ossaïs to reach home.

For the first time in the tournament, Chinese Taipei trailed. And just as Everett said, it lacked experience when it came to working from behind and in this case, it ended up costing them.

Everett was adamant about the team's 9-1 loss to Chinese Taipei illustrated that his team could win and the score of that loss didn't define it. While most that watched that game pointed to the score and the fifth innings as definite reasons that Chinese Taipei had the international title in the bag, he chose to focus on the positives.

"We played great baseball," said Everett. "The first game was a great game. The first three innings, (they) only had one run and we put up three zeros."

For Chinese Taipei, it finished its tournament run sporting a 3-1 record and has certainly left a mark on this year's Little League World Series, with its incredible talent from the mound and dominance throughout the international field. Although its departure was abrupt and disappointing for the coaches and players, it has a lot to be proud of heading into next season.

"These kids all want to win so bad. That's a good sign, the outcome just (ended with) them falling short," said Chinese Taipei manager Lee Cheng-Ta. "I think the opportunity to be able to play the best in the world has been a really great opportunity because it's not every day do you get to come to Williamsport to play against the top teams."

For Curacao, it'll look to take advantage of its second chance at a Little League World series crown, as it faces off against California tomorrow.

"I came back here for that. "Last year I came here, I was hungry for it because it was my first time. We ate the cake, but we didn't eat the cherry." said Everett. "Now, we are going to eat everything."