SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT – Kitasuna had the perfect response to the biggest inning in Little League World Series championship game history.
The team from Tokyo, Japan answered with the biggest comeback in any game in the event’s 69-year history.
Kitasuna overcame a 10-run first inning and eight-run deficit Sunday to spoil what had been a perfect season by Red Land with an 18-11 victory before an announced crowd of 42,218 at Lamade Stadium.
By winning for the third time since 2001, Kitasuna, which also made the world championship game in 2007 and the international final in 2014, prevented Red Land from becoming the first Pennsylvania champion since 1960.
Kitasuna hit five home runs to recover from a grand slam and three-run homer by Red Land in the first inning.
Red Land’s run to the U.S. title made this the most-attended Little League World Series ever.
The U.S. championship came Saturday with a 3-2 win over Pearland West from Texas in front of the largest single game crowd ever, 45,716.
The 32 games at the series drew 467,964, easily breaking the previous record of 414,905 set in 2011 in 31 games.
WEEK IN REVIEW
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders are closing in on an International League North Division title, finishing the week at 76-60 for a five-game lead over the second-place Rochester Red Wings.
The RailRiders won the IronRail trophy by taking the season series over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs when they won, 7-2, Friday night at PNC Field in Moosic.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre finished 10-8 on the season against Lehigh Valley.
Kyle Haines threw six shutout innings in the win, giving up just three hits and two walks.
Kyle Roller hit his 14th homer.
In high school golf, Montrose shot a 443 to finish fifth out of eight teams August 25 in the Jackman Girls’ Tournament at Scranton Municipal Golf Course.
Forest City won two straight matches to finish the week 2-0-1 and tied for fourth in the 13-team Lackawanna League Class AA Division.
In girls’ tennis, Montrose won two straight after losing its opener against Abington Heights, last season’s undefeated Lackawanna League Class AAA champion.
Elk Lake went 1-2 in the first week.
THE WEEK AHEAD
The high school football season gets underway Friday.
Montrose will be home Friday night against Meyers. Susquehanna is home Saturday at 1 against Nanticoke.
This season, we will again make predictions on games involving Lackawanna Football Conference teams. Our predictions last year were 101-35 (74.3 percent).
This week’s predictions, with home teams in CAPS: Meyers 40, MONTROSE 12 … SUSQUEHANNA 26, Nanticoke 13 … Scranton Prep 28, DUNMORE 6 … WALLENPAUPACK 30, Honesdale 16 … LAKELAND 23, Northwest 7 … HANOVER AREA 35, Carbondale 22 … Lake-Lehman 28, LACKAWANNA TRAIL 13 … Valley View 28, MID VALLEY 14 … West Scranton 17, RIVERSIDE 13 … North Pocono 21, WESTERN WAYNE 15 … UPPER DUBLIN 37, Delaware Valley 27 … Abington Heights 29, PITTSTON AREA 16 … Dallas 28, SCRANTON 27 … HOLY REDEEMER 24, Holy Cross 6 … GAR 17, Old Forge 16.
Lackawanna League girls’ volleyball also opens Friday and Saturday.
Forest City is at Montrose in the only Friday match. The Saturday openers are Abington Heights at defending District 2 Class A champion Blue Ridge, Mountain View at Lackawanna Trail, Dunmore at Susquehanna and Western Wayne at Elk Lake.
TOM ROBINSON writes a weekly local sports column for the Susquehanna County Transcript. He can be reached online at RobbyTR@aol.com or follow him on Twitter at @tomjrobinson.
MENARD GETS ROAD AMERICA WIN
Paul Menard wins at Road America
ELKHART LAKE, Wis.—Paul Menard claimed his first Xfinity Series road course win Saturday at Road America.
Menard said that if the race had gone one more lap, he probably wouldn’t have won.
“We didn't have the fastest car,” said Menard. “We had a really good short run car. Crew chief Danny Stockman made a hell of a call at the end.
“I was definitely concerned about fuel and tires. I was saving as much as I could under caution, but then when we fired off on that last restart, I was just chattering the left rear tire really bad. It took a couple of laps for it to come in, then the No. 22 (Ryan Blaney) started closing in, and I knew it would be close.”
Blaney did not lead any laps and near the end it appeared he was as fast as Menard, but he could never get in the right position to make a pass, and finished .57-seconds back.
“I did what I could, because I really thought we could win this one,” said Blaney. “I felt like we had the car, but it fell off on the last couple laps.”
Brian Scott led three laps of the 45-lap race and finished a strong third.
Chase Elliott led the most laps (23), but had problems maneuvering around the tricky road course, to finish fourth.
“I made too many mistakes today,” he said. “I just screwed up. We had a good car, and it’s my fault we didn’t win.”
Darrell Wallace Jr., Boris Said, Justin Marks, Regan Smith, Chris Buescher, and Ty Dillon rounded out the top-10.
Top-10 leaders after 23 of 33: 1. C. Buescher-835, 2. Elliott-819, 3. T. Dillon-816, 4. Smith-785, 5. Sadler-750, 6. Wallace-736, 7. Scott-723, 8. Suarez-717, 9. Gaughan-705, 10. Reed-631.
ERIK JONES WINS CANADIAN TRUCK RACE
MONTREAL, Can.—Erik Jones coasted to his second Truck Series win of the year Sunday after Alex Tagliani, his closest pursuer, had an engine let go during the final lap.
“It was an awesome win,” said Jones who led 19 laps of the 64 lap race. “Being able to race with Tagliani was really great. He is a good, clean racer, and that makes it all the more challenging.”
Matt Crafton finished second followed by Ben Kennedy, Daniel Hemric, Alex Tagliani, Johnny Sauter, Cameron Hayley, Spencer Gallagher, John Nemechek, and Cole Custer.
Top-10 leaders after 15 of 23: 1. Jones-590, 2. Crafton-587, 3. Reddick-575, 4. Sauter-535, 5. Hemric-500, 6. Hayley-489, 7. Peters-470, 8. Townley-466, 9. Gallagher-452, 10. Kennedy-451.
JGR TEAMS READY FOR THE CHASE
Joe Gibbs Racing is clearly the best in NASCAR Sprint Cup racing at this point. Even though Joey Logano, a Penske driver won two weeks ago, and Kevin Harvick is the points leader, JGR has four drivers Chase-eligible. This is more than any other organization.
One of the reasons all four of the JGR drivers will make the Chase is because of the man himself. Joe Gibbs knows what pressure is. In addition to three Sprint Cup championships, he has won three Super Bowl titles.
Gibbs has the ability and experience to turn less-than-average people or teams into winners.
During his first stint in the National Football League, he coached the Washington Redskins for 12 seasons and led them to eight playoff appearances, four NFC Championship titles, and three Super Bowl titles.
So don’t expect his teams to fold as they near the finish line, because he is used to high-pressure situations.
Veteran Matt Kenseth is in the seventh spot, with two wins. He is 155 points out of first, but his two victories will assure him a spot in the second round.
Denny Hamlin is ninth, 196 points back. His one win automatically guarantees him a Chase spot.
Carl Edwards is 14th, 242 points back. He also has one win.
Kyle Busch missed much of the early part of the season due to a wreck prior to the Daytona 500, but he has come back to win four races, and is Chase-eligible.
While there is a disparity in points right now between the leaders and JGR drivers, once the points are reset after the Richmond race, they will all be within 50 points of the top.
Gibbs will have his teams at full strength by the time the 10-race Chase begins on Sept. 20th. It is my belief that his four-teams will only get better as the season progresses.
Erik Jones winner of Sunday’s Truck Series race is one of the young drivers JGR is bringing along in their development program. There is speculation that he might take over driving duties of the No. 20 Sprint Cup car if Matt Kenseth decides to retire within the next year or two.
With just two races left before the Chase begins, there have been 11 different winners that are locked in. The other five drivers will be decided by points. A victory by any other driver means he would clinch a spot in the Chase.
The drivers and number of wins: Jimmie Johnson (4), Kyle Busch (4), Joey Logano (3),
Matt Kenseth (3), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2), Kevin Harvick (2), Kurt Busch (2), Brad Keselowski (1), Martin Truex Jr. (1), Carl Edwards (1), Denny Hamlin (1).
Drivers that must either win or work their way in on points: Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, Paul Menard, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer. These drivers are all inside the top-16 for now.
Aric Almirola is 17th, followed by Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle, and Austin Dillon.
Meanwhile, Tony Stewart denied any wrongdoing in the death of Kevin Ward Jr. that occurred during a sprint car race last August.
Stewart claims he did not see Kevin Ward Jr. until just prior to his sprint car striking the 20-year-old driver and that Ward actually tried to make contact with Stewart's car in the accident that resulted in Ward's death.
His attorney filed Stewart’s response Friday to the wrongful death lawsuit brought by Ward's parents. The response, filed in U.S. District Court in Utica, N.Y., states that Stewart didn't even know who it was on the track at the time, and that Ward was responsible for his own death because he not only walked out on to an active race track but also because he was under the influence of marijuana at the time. The three-time Sprint Cup champion has never talked publicly about what happened that night, other than to say it was “100 percent an accident”.
Weekend Racing: This weekend’s racing will feature the Xfinity and Sprint Cup teams at the historic 1-mile Darlington Speedway. The Truck Series has an off weekend.
Sat., Sept. 5; Xfinity Series race 24 of 33; Starting time: 3:30 pm ET; TV: NBC.
Sun., Sept. 6; Sprint Cup Series race 25 of 36; Starting time: 7 pm ET; TV: NBC.
Racing Trivia Question: At which track will the 2015 Sprint Cup season end?
Last week’s question: Who won the first Darlington race? Answer. The first Darlington race was held in 1950. It was won by Johnny Mantz in a Plymouth. Bill France Sr. was part owner of the car.
You may contact the Racing Reporter by e-mail at: hodges@race500.com.
