Washington County trailed Japan by one run through six innings, though the locals had just one hit after the first. But the Asia-Pacific squad pushed across six runs in the sixth and rolled to win PONY Baseball’s 71st World Championship, downing the hosts, 8-2. Kaito Saita doubled to open the game and scored on Kaisei Fukuchi’s RBI single in the first. Ryan Huey singled and scored on Troy Stimpson’s run-scoring double in the bottom of the inning. With two out in the fourth, winning pitcher Yugo Inoue singled in the infield, move to third on a sharp single to left and scored on Haruto Kawasaki’s basehit up the middle. Meanwhile, Inoue was holding Washington County to just three batters an inning from the second through the sixth. Japan used a walk, a sacrifice/error, a base hit and a hit-batter to open the seventh, chasing reliever Jayden Roach. Another hit-batter, a walk, a single and two more errors spelled the end of Washington’s title hopes. Brayden Radue singled in the bottom of the inning, later scoring on Ayvari Chandler’s base hit but two strikeouts ended the threat with the bases loaded. Washington County was playing in just its third winner-take-all PONY championship, the first since 1998, also a loss to the Asia-Pacific champion. Stimpson won the John D. Voytek Memorial Award as Washington County’s leading hitter. The Washington catcher went 8-for-15 (.533) with an inside the park home run, three doubles, four singles, five runs batted in and two runs scored. Click for Bracket.
Batting Champion: Ayden Vieth, Covina, CA (8-14, .571)
ERA Award: Luus Guajardo, Monterrey, MX (8.2 IP, 1 ER, 0.81 ERA)