Five-run fifth inning, combined with great pitching, propels Nevada past Washington at LLWS

Henderson, Nevada might start slow but it finishes mighty strong.

And a second straight outstanding finishing kick has it one win from playing in the U.S. championship.

Brooks McFarland and Logan Edwards combined on a two-hit shutout, and Nevada scored five fifth inning runs, turning a scoreless game into a 5-0 win against Tacoma, Washington Sunday at Lamade Stadium. Up next is a showdown in the winner's bracket final against either New Jersey or Iowa.

Nevada rallied from a late three-run deficit to win its opener against Ohio, 6-5 and has scored nine of its seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings over two games.

Nevada strung together six hits in that five-run fifth inning Sunday as Edwards and Michael Kleiner ignited the rally with consecutive bunt singles. Carsynn Meyer hit an RBI single and Nevada delivered both timely hits while pouncing on every mistake Washington made. Owen Guzman and Hudson Cowley kept the inning going with two-out singles and Adrian Cruz added a sacrifice fly.

Ten Nevada players combined for 11 hits. Owen Guzman went 2 for 3.

McFarland dominated for Nevada, taking a no-hitter into the fifth inning and striking out five in five innings

. Edwards worked a perfect sixth inning to close, striking out two.

Washington opened the series 2-0 and appeared poised to strike early, loading the bases with one out in the top of the first. McFarland, however, ended the threat, producing a strikeout and inducing a liner to right fielder James Esber.

"At first I really didn't focus in and I didn't have much confidence," McFarland said. "But as the game went on, I decided to focus up and got more confidence and got out of that inning. It was great. I knew I could do it with the confidence I had and I did it."

Washington, however, is not finished. It will play again Tuesday against the winner of Monday's Pennsylvania-Alabama game.