Lufkin, Texas, rallies late to beat Greenville, N.C., and earn spot in LLWS title game

Mark Requena hit a two-run, go-ahead home run in the sixth inning and Lufkin, Texas, overcame a five-run deficit to beat Greenville, N.C., 6-5 on Saturday to earn a spot in the Little League World Series championship game.

Greenville was previously undefeated in the tournament, having given up just one run and one hit in three games — both to Lufkin, on Wednesday — before things changed in a hurry Saturday. Pinch-hitter Clayton Wigley’s two-run homer to center started the rally for Lufkin in the fourth inning.

Lufkin will face Japan, which cruised through the international bracket and shut out Mexico 5-0 earlier Saturday, in Sunday’s championship.

Lufkin fell behind 5-0 to Greenville in the third when JoeJoe Bryne hit a two-RBI single, then scored on Chase Anderson’s groundout to second.

The Southwest region champs started chipping away at the lead in the fourth inning with Wigley’s home run.

Malcolm Deason made it a one-run game in the fifth when he hit an RBI single, then scored on a wild throw by the catcher, Bryce Jackson, who tried to catch Deason stealing third.

Keitaro Miyahara smacked a leadoff home run to left-center field, capping a nine-pitch at-bat, as Japan scored four runs int he first inning in its victory over Mexico.

Miyahara, 6 for 12 in the tournament, slipped coming out of the box before sprinting around the bases, giving a little fist-pump at third.

“After the first home run off this opposing pitcher, the momentum changed,” Japan manager Junnji Hidaka said through an interpreter. “Once one of our hitters got a home run off of him, we believed we could hit off him. That’s a very good pitcher that we faced.”

Mexico unraveled after Miyahara’s game-opening homer, giving up three more runs in the first.

Japan loaded the bases thanks to a dropped third strike, a throwing error by pitcher Jorge Garcia and a walk before Yuya Nakajima grounded a two-run single through the left side. Another run scored on a wild pitch before Garcia escaped further trouble.

By that time, he had thrown 39 pitches. Little Leaguers are only allowed to throw 85 in a game.

If Japan wins the tournament title on Sunday, it will be the country’s fifth championship in eight years and 11th overall.

Tokyo Kitasuna, the club representing Japan this year, has won the championship three times before, most recently in 2015 when it was guided by Junnji Hidaka, who also is this season’s manager.

Japan pitcher Riku Goto tossed 5 2/3 shutout innings and struck out 13, which was the most for a pitcher in a game this tournament. Miyahara relieved Goto to get the final out.

UPDATES:

3:35 p.m.: This article has been updated with Lufkin, Texas, defeating Greenville, N.C.

This article was originally published at 12:05 p.m.