09-02-2019, 02:57 AM
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. Niklas Sule Bayern Munich Jersey . -- Chad Knight said he was on edge. It never showed as he laced the biggest hit of his young life. Knight lined a run-scoring single to left field in the bottom of the seventh inning, and Westport, Conn., beat Northwest champion Sammamish, Wash., 14-13 in a wild game Friday to earn a spot in the U.S. championship game at the Little League World Series. "I went to the plate and I was a little nervous, but then I realized it was just any other at-bat," Knight said. "I just had to go out and put the ball in play. If we didnt score, I knew Alex (Reiner) would get the next three outs and we would score in the eighth inning." Connecticut beat Sammamish for the second time in a week to advance to play Chula Vista, Calif., on Saturday for a berth in the title game. Tijuana, Mexico, will face Tokyo for the international title. The World Series championship is Sunday. That crushing nine-inning loss to Chula Vista on Wednesday night was quickly forgotten when Knights ball landed safely, setting off a wild celebration near the pitchers mound at Howard J. Lamade Stadium "I was really just speechless because for us to compete and battle back was just amazing," said Knight, who also hit a solo homer to cap a seven-run rally in the fifth that tied it at 13. "It was our biggest comeback all year." The game marked the fourth time in Little League World Series history that two teams combined for 27 runs, and the 30 hits were the third-most in history. Charlie Roof started the winning rally by drawing a leadoff walk and Ricky Offenberg hit a one-out double down the left-field line. With five Washington players manning the infield and playing in, Max Popken then hit a one-hopper that Washington shortstop Jack Carper stabbed with pinch-runner Christopher Drbal breaking for home. Offenberg ran into Carper as the Washington player began to make a play for Drbal, who was tagged out in a rundown. Interference was called on Offenberg, leaving Drbal at third and Popken at first with two outs, and Knight followed with his winning hit. Im so proud of the kids, I cant even tell you," Washington manager Rob Chandler said. "We had extra infielders in. We were trying to do everything to win the game. Should I have walked Chad Knight? No, I shouldnt have. I wouldnt walk Knight if given a chance again, I would try to strike him out again." Washington scored 10 runs in the fourth on 11 hits to take what seemed like a commanding 12-5 lead, pounding a World Series record-tying eight straight hits off Connecticut starter Harry Azadian. The barrage was stunning and matched the record set by Dominican Republic in 1992 and equaled by Chula Vista, Calif., in 2009. Adam Carper, Dylan Matsuoka, Jack Carper, and Dalton Chandler each had RBI singles, and Will Armbruester added a two-run single. Zack Olson tripled home two more to complete the hit parade and also added a run-scoring double later in the inning. "We stuck with Harry because Harry has always managed to pull himself out of it," Westport manager Tim Rogers said. "Give them a lot of credit, they kept hitting. The kids never gave up, one pitch at a time, and thats how we did it. We knew we could score, but of course, we didnt want them to get that far ahead." Undaunted, Connecticut stormed back with seven runs in the bottom of the fifth, hitting three home runs to tie it at 13. After Washington starter Chandler reached his pitch count and departed, Matt Stone singled, Matt Brown doubled off the left-field wall and 13-year-old Alex Reiner homered off Armbruester in relief. Reiners was a three-run shot and it was a surprise -- it was the first of his Little League career. Roof followed with a double off Jack Carper, Drew Rogers lined an RBI single to right, and Popken homered to right centre. Knight followed with a long home run to left to tie the game. "While it was going in, we were just yelling," Offenberg said. "I dont even think we were saying words. We were that excited. I dont think Ive been that excited." Connecticut scored three runs in the bottom of the third, helped by three Washington errors, to take a short-lived 5-2 lead. It was an impressive showing by Westport, which somehow put Grant Holmans game-winning, three-run homer for Chula Vista far in the rearview mirror. "Being so close -- at some point youre going to lose. It would be rare not to," Rogers said. "I expect them to compete and shake it off. I expect them to be competitive." In their first matchup in the World Series earlier in the week, Westport built a 9-2 lead over Sammamish through four innings, then hung on for a 9-7 win. Azadian had three hits and four RBIs in that one as Westport sent 12 batters to the plate and scored seven runs in the second inning. Sinan Kurt Bayern Munich Jersey . - Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II says the NFL has told the team it will not be docked a pick in this years draft for coach Mike Tomlins foray onto the field against Baltimore last November. Niklas Dorsch Jersey . Osmond, of Marystown, N.L., fell in the middle of her routine and placed fifth in the ladies free skate at Iceberg Skating Palace (110.73 points), but that was all the Canadians needed after a strong performance by Kevin Reynolds in the mens free earlier Sunday. http://www.soccerfcbayernshop.com/kids-j...ch-jersey/ . - Defensive end-linebacker Mike Neal apparently is returning to the Packers.SOCHI, Russia -- Finland eliminated Russia from the Olympic mens hockey tournament with a 3-1 victory Wednesday, putting a stunning end to the Russians enormous expectations at home. Teemu Selanne scored an early goal and Tuukka Rask made 37 saves as Finland crushed the Russians dreams of winning hockey gold in front of their own fans. Russian teams have won eight gold medals in hockey, but none in the last 22 years. Selanne and Mikael Granlund each had a goal and an assist for the steady Finns, who overcame an early deficit and silenced the Bolshoy Ice Dome with two goals in the first period. Despite its roster of high-priced offensive stars, Russia couldnt score in the final 52 minutes after Ilya Kovalchuks early power-play goal. Finland will face top-seeded Sweden in the semifinals on Friday. Russia has failed to win a medal in three straight Olympics since 2002, and even home-ice advantage couldnt end the embarrassing drought. A quarter-final exit is excruciating for the proud Russian team, which pressed relentlessly and fruitlessly in the third period after falling behind by two goals. After the final buzzer, several Russian players stood on the ice with their hands on their knees. Evgeni Malkin, who failed to score a goal in the last four games, dropped to one knee before captain Pavel Datsyuk led the traditional post-game handshake line. The Russians then gathered at centre ice amid more jeers and whistles than cheers, mournfully raising their sticks to salute the fans before skating off the ice at an arena built to herald Russias return to hockey dominance. Alex Ovechkin, the reigning NHL MVP and one of the Sochi Games most public faces, failed to score another goal for Russia after scoring on his first shot just 1:17 into Russias opener against Slovenia. Malkin, the Russians other former NHL MVP, also didnt score a goal after the first four minutes of the opener. Ovechkin, Malkin and Datsyuk all hailed Russias home Olympics as the most important tournament of their careers, but theyll likely have only bitter memories. Russia didnt play horribly in Sochi, winning three of its five games, but lost a painful eight-round shootout to the U.S. team before falling behind early and failing to cattch up against steady Finland. Jeong Woo-yeong Bayern Munich Jersey. Semyon Varlamov allowed all three goals on 15 shots against the Finns before getting pulled for Sergei Bobrovsky during the second period. Juhamatti Aaltonen scored the first goal for Finland, the most consistently successful Olympic team in the last two decades, winning medals in four of the past five games. Russian fans realized the importance and peril of this game, filling the Olympic park early in the afternoon with cheers, chants and Russian flags. The Bolshoy crowd began chanting "Ro-ssi-ya!" even before pre-game warm-ups, waving hundreds of flags and banners emblazoned with hometowns and slogans. The tone was uncommonly intense from the opening faceoff. After Granlund took an early holding penalty in the offensive zone, captain Pavel Datsyuk fed Kovalchuk for a hard shot over Rasks shoulder. Kovalchuk popped the water bottle off the top of Finlands net and celebrated with a two-footed leap into the air amid ecstatic cheers. But moments later, Aaltonen made a beautiful move along the goal line, putting a shot under Varlamovs glove arm for the KHL forwards first goal in Sochi. Bolshoy got quiet, and it became positively funeral-like late in the period when Granlund moved up the boards, broke past two defencemen and fed Selanne for the Finn captains 22nd goal in a record-tying six trips to the Olympics. The 43-year-old Selanne extended his own record for the oldest player to score in an Olympics. Finland scored again on the power play early in the second, with Granlund collecting Selannes rebound and sliding in a backhand from a sharp angle. Granlund, who turns 22 in a week, hadnt been born when Selanne played in his first Olympics in 1992. Russia put together an impressive offensive stretch after Bobrovsky came on, with Rask forced to make a big save on Alexander Semins breakaway. The Russians continued to press in the third period, outshooting Finland 14-5, but Rask made big saves when his teammates didnt block Russias shots. Dozens of fans lingered in their seats long after the team left the ice, disconsolately folding their flags and staring at the ice. A few Finnish fans near centre ice even went up to a group of Russian fans for a hug. ' ' '