Ohio pounds out 12 hits to defeat Alabama in elimination game, 11-2
Bryson Williams of Great Lakes celebrates as he scores in the first inning against Southeast at the Little League World Series. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Boone Treadway of Great Lakes can’t get to a ball thrown to him from the outfield on a ball hit by Ryker Rasmus during the third inning at the Little League World Series. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Ryker Rasmus of Southeast scores in the third inning against Great Lakes at the Little League World Series. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Leo Feltner of Great Lakes scores against Southeast at the Little League World Series. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Ryker Rasmus of Southeast gets a hit against Great Lakes at the Little League World Series. Rasmus made it to third base on the play from the third inning. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Catcher Brooks Cameron of Southeast reacts as Josiah Infante of Great Lakes scores in the first inning at the Little League World Series. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Southeast Case Rasmus argues with the umpires that he feels that Josiah Infante of Great Lakes is stepping off the pitching rubber during the second inning at the Little League World Series. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Pitcher Cedric Harrison Jr. of Southeast jumps out of the way of a ball hit back to the mound by Leo Feltner of Great Lakes during the third inning at the Little League World Series. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Kinley Rasmus of Southeast singles in the 5th inning against Great Lakes at the Little League World Series. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Bryson Williams of Great Lakes celebrates as he scores in the first inning against Southeast at the Little League World Series. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Easton Allen, Kinley Rasmus, and Urijah Berklite of Southeast share a laugh before the start of their game against Great Lakes at the Little League World Series. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Bryson Williams of Great Lakes celebrates as he scores in the first inning against Southeast at the Little League World Series. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Boone Treadway of Great Lakes can’t get to a ball thrown to him from the outfield on a ball hit by Ryker Rasmus during the third inning at the Little League World Series. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Ryker Rasmus of Southeast scores in the third inning against Great Lakes at the Little League World Series. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Leo Feltner of Great Lakes scores against Southeast at the Little League World Series. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Ryker Rasmus of Southeast gets a hit against Great Lakes at the Little League World Series. Rasmus made it to third base on the play from the third inning. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Catcher Brooks Cameron of Southeast reacts as Josiah Infante of Great Lakes scores in the first inning at the Little League World Series. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Southeast Case Rasmus argues with the umpires that he feels that Josiah Infante of Great Lakes is stepping off the pitching rubber during the second inning at the Little League World Series. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Pitcher Cedric Harrison Jr. of Southeast jumps out of the way of a ball hit back to the mound by Leo Feltner of Great Lakes during the third inning at the Little League World Series. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Kinley Rasmus of Southeast singles in the 5th inning against Great Lakes at the Little League World Series. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Bryson Williams of Great Lakes celebrates as he scores in the first inning against Southeast at the Little League World Series. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Easton Allen, Kinley Rasmus, and Urijah Berklite of Southeast share a laugh before the start of their game against Great Lakes at the Little League World Series. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Trending
Hamilton, Ohio continues playing its best baseball at the perfect time. Like a freight train, the Great Lakes champions continue gathering momentum, too.
Ohio pounded out 12 hits; Josiah Infante and Bryson Williams combined on a four-hitter and Ohio won its fourth straight Little League World Series game, defeating Phenix City, Alabama, 11-2. For a second straight time at the Series, the team from West Side Little League is guaranteed a top three U.S. finish, reaching Thursday's morning's losers bracket final where it will play Iowa for a spot opposite Nevada in the U.S. championship.
"That's a lot of hits for a team in a Little League game. That's us," Ohio manager Tim Nichting said. "That's 20 guys on base (with) eight walks, 12 hits. Hat's off to Hamilton for swinging it."
It has been quite a run after an opening 6-5 loss against Nevada. Ohio has routed four straight teams, 32-5. It has made big innings a calling card and produced three of them Wednesday, scoring at least three runs three times.
That included in the top of the first when Ohio sent an immediate message and scored four times. It added three runs in the third to go up, 7-1 and put the game away in the sixth with four more, going up, 11-2.
Williams continued his superb pitching at the Series and also went 3 for 4. Leo Feltner and Jack McAdams collected two hits each and Bob Frazier and Finn Dykes each had two RBIs. Eight Ohio players generated hits and seven produced RBIs.
Boone Treadway made history as well, drawing two more walks. Treadway's 10 walks at the Series are a record and he also drove in a run. Ohio also set a record collectively with 38 walks.
Infante and Williams stymied an offense which had had been heating up. Infante struck out two in two innings before Williams again shined in relief, striking out four and allowing just a run in four innings.
Phenix City finishes fourth in the U.S. after becoming the first Alabama team to reach the Series since its league reached the national championship in 1999.
Ryker Rasmus went 2 for 2 with two doubles and Lorenzo Quintero added an RBI. Alabama won three straight elimination games after dropping its opener, including rallying from five runs down to beat Pennsylvania, 6-5 in seven innings.