Little League World Series: Day 2 Recap

Day 2 of the Little League World Series featured a weather delay but plenty of action, including a perfect game from three North Carolina hurlers. Here’s a look at Friday’s scores and Saturday’s schedule.

Friday’s Results:

Japan 8, Australia 0
California 9, Washington 0
North Carolina 6, South Dakota 0
South Korea 10, Dominican Republic 1

Saturday’s Schedule (Elimination Games):

Mexico vs. Italy, 1 p.m. ET (ESPN)
New Jersey vs. Michigan, 3 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Dominican Republic vs. Australia, 5 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Washington vs. South Dakota, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Chase Anderson #6, Matthew Matthijs #15 and Carson Hardee #16 of the Southeast team from North Carolina pose for a photo on the field after throwing a combined perfect game during Game 8 of the 2017 Little League World Series against the Midwest team from South Dakota at Lamade Stadium on Friday, August 18, 2017 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

U.S. Players of the Day—Chase Anderson, Matthew Matthijs and Carson Hardee, North Carolina

The trio of North Carolinians pitched to the minimum 18 batters in their combined perfect game against South Dakota. Chase Anderson started the game on the hill for the boys from Greenville, N.C., and struck out four in three innings. Anderson was taken out in order to be eligible for Sunday’s game. The ball was handed to Matthew Matthijs, who continued the perfection with 2.2 innings, featuring five strikeouts. Matthijs was also pulled in preparation for Sunday, leaving it up to Carson Hardee to complete the perfecto, and he ended the game with a strikeout. North Carolina’s defense was solid behind its pitchers, committing no errors on the big stage. North Carolina moves on to play California, with their top arms ready for action on Sunday.

International Player of the Day—Jinwon Shin, South Korea

Jinwon Shin started his big day with a double in the third inning and finished the day 3-for-4 with four RBIs, three of which came on a home run in the fourth inning. He added a solo shot in the fifth of South Korea’s 10-1 thumping of the Dominican Republic. South Korea moves on to face Japan on Sunday.

BA Intern Conor Hynes contributed to this report