The Cal Ripken World Series World Title game is set.
Kennewick, Wash., will represent the United States after a 10-2 win over Honolulu, Hawaii, Friday evening. Japan will represent the Internationals after shutting out Puerto Rico, 3-0, Friday night.
Washington and Japan will meet at 8 p.m. Saturday at Cal Sr.'s Yard in Aberdeen.
In Washington's win, it scored in every inning, but the last, to easily win the United States Championship.
Multiple Washington runs crossed the plate in each of the first four innings en route to the lopsided win over Hawaii.
"I never envisioned that we would put a 10-2 game on them, I figured 10-8, 5-4. We hit the ball well," Washington manager Bryan Knapik said.
"Well" was 11 hits, four for extra bases. It began early and Washington couldn't have asked for a better start.
Three runs scored on three hits and a walk in the first inning. The walk to leadoff man Trevor Ridley opened the big scoring opportunity.
Simeon Howard hit the next pitch to the wall for a long single and Ben Johnson followed with another drive to the wall to plate Ridley and Howard. Johnson pulled into second with a double.
Connor Mendez drove in the third run with a single.
Hawaii, which put up eight runs in its first at bat Thursday to eliminate Harford County champ Hickory, wasn't so fortunate Friday, but it did get on the scoreboard with one run.
Trey Micha Lieb hit the first pitch he saw into left field for a single. Kaden Stremick and Jameson Hussey both reached to load the bases. Stremick on an error and Hussey on a hit by pitch after falling behind in the count, 0-2.
Chance Otsuka reached on a fielder's choice, collecting the RBI.
Koby Moananu also grounded into a fielder's choice, but Washington third baseman Ivan Palomino cut down Kaden Stremick at home.
Washington pitcher Howard closed down the rally with two strikeouts to end the inning.
Howard was then unhittable over the next three innings, while he and his teammates were scoring two runs per inning over the same stretch to open a 9-1 lead.
"It felt great. The other games I did pretty good, but this game I had a lot of confidence," Howard said. "I came in to do it and it felt really good."
Kamaehu Sanchez took over on the mound for Hawaii in the second and was the victim of a two-run shot off the bat of Ridley. Palomino reached on an error prior to the Ridley homer.
"It was just amazing, I got an inside pitch and I just took it into left field. It was just a great feeling," Ridley said. "I knew it was out because I hit on the good part of the bat."
The home run was the first for Ridley in the series.
Sanchez ran into further trouble in the third. Two walks and a hit batter forced him from the mound.
Kennedy Hara came on and gave up an RBI single to Palomino and an RBI groundout to Ridley, but got out of the inning when Howard grounded sharply out to second.
Hara also pitched the fourth for Hawaii and a leadoff walk to Johnson came back to haunt him. Cash Hailey singled in Johnson and Gage Ackerman added a sacrifice fly RBI later in the inning.
Sam Ricard doubled and scored on Palomino's single in the fifth for Washington. More runs were wiped off the bases by Hawaii second baseman Reece Carganilla, who snagged a line drive and fired to shortstop Stremick at the bag to complete the 4U, 4-6, double play.
Hawaii finally had something to cheer about offensively in the bottom of the fifth. Peyton Hino delivered a leadoff home run to break the drought.
Calvin Carpenter and Lieb followed with consecutive singles off Howard, but Howard settled back in and retired the next three by groundout and his eighth and ninth strikeouts.
Connor Mendez relieved Howard in the sixth, striking out two and getting a fly ball to end the game.
"We didn't play our best ball, but give them credit, they came and they kind of handcuffed us on the mound when they were pitching. We just couldn't come up with the key hit. We kind of ran out of gas," Hawaii manager Al Carganilla said.
Japan blanks Puerto Rico
After a two-year absence, Japan is back in the Cal Ripken World Series World Championship game.
"Our team showed us a great effort today, so hopefully we can see that same game tomorrow," Japan manager Katsumi Sekiguchi said with translation aid from coach Ty Date.
Japan jumped ahead in the bottom of the second. Kairi Matsumura drew a leadoff walk, stole second and moved to third on an Seishiro Yabuuchi single.
Kenta Nozaki then lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, deep enough for Matsumura to score. A stellar play by Puerto Rico second baseman Derek Gippson denied Japan another run.
That's all Matsumura needed as the left hand hurler was shutting down the Puerto Rico hitters for more than eight innings straight, going back to six innings of no-hit baseball pool play Sunday.
Matsumura finally surrendered a hit in the top of the third when Ramon Rodriguez singled to break the streak. Peter Vazquez also singled in the inning, but Gippson grounded out to second and a Renzo Gonzalez sharp liner to left was snagged by left fielder Ayato Hagiwara.
Puerto Rico's biggest scoring threat came in the fifth. Zeniel Morales hit a drive deep off the wall in right center field. Running hard all the way, Morales slid into third with an one-out triple.
Matsumura buckled down and struck out pinch hitter Yadiel Torres and Vazquez.
"I felt great about my changeup today, but those guys were taking my curve ball," Matsumura said. "I could have improved my curve ball, while they were taking it, so that's something I really need to work on for the next time."
Nozaki gave Japan a huge insurance run in the bottom of the fifth, hitting a solo shot just over the wall in right-center.
Japan added another run on a bases loaded fielder's choice groundout by Kota Kurahara.
Matsumura then went out and got the final outs, finishing with the three-hit shutout, striking out 10.