SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pennsylvania – The team from Goodlettsville, Tennessee came into the 2012 Little League World Series Championship coming off a win in one of the most memorable games in recent memory. However, they couldn’t find the magic again falling to Japan 12-2 in the championship game.
A day after scoring 24 runs against California, Japan held Tennessee to just 2 hits, home runs by Brock Myers and Lorenzo Butler.
Japan was led by Noriatsu Osaka who went 4-for-4 with a triple and 3 home runs driving in 4 runs from the lead off spot. Yuta Ishida chipped in with 2 hits including a home run and 3 RBI as Japan powered their way to the title. Rintaro Hirano also homered for Japan en route to the win.
Kotaro Kiyomiya picked up his 2nd win of the tournament going 4 innings allowing only 1 run on a single hit while striking out 8. Justin Smith, who hadn’t pitched in the LLWS or the Southeast Regional, got the start for Tennessee allowing 5 runs on 7 hits in 3 innings.
The championship was Japan’s 8th and 2nd in the last 3 years. Goodlettsville, a Nashville suburb, was the first team from Tennessee to advance to South Williamsport since Morristown in 1987.
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Eric Bynum is Managing Editor here at Baseball de World and an ESL teacher in South Korea. He has played and/or written about baseball for the past 30 years and is an avid Atlanta Braves fan. Eric also writes for Braves Baseball World and for Call to the Pen.
