Hawai’i caps dominant run with fourth Little League World Series title

Hawai’i got back-to-back homers from Kekoa Payanal and Kama Angell in the first inning, sparking a 13-3 win in just four innings Sunday over Curacao in the championship of the Little League World Series.

The LLWS title is Hawai’i's fourth. It won in 2018, and this same Honolulu team finished third last year, when COVID-19 travel restrictions prevented international teams from participating.

Hawai’i starter Jaron Lancaster was dominant once again as he threw all four innings, while allowing only three runs, three hits and striking out 10 Curacao hitters.

Curacao took the first lead of any team over Hawaii in the tournament when Davey-Jay Rijke led off the game with what looked like a bloop single, but he bolted on to second when neither middle infielder was covering that bag. Rijke eventually came around to score on a wild pitch.

But Hawai’i trailed for only a few minutes. A home run from leadoff hitter Payanal to left field, and a shot by Angell that barely cleared the wall in center, reignited the Hawai’i side and put the team from the West Region up 2-1. It also chased Curacao starter Shemar Jacobus.

The game ended in the fourth inning when Angell hit a single down the left-field line that scored Esaiah Wong to clinch the victory and another championship for Hawaii. Under Little League rules, a team wins if it is leading by 10 runs or more after four innings.