California to play Curaçao for Little League World Series title

The 2023 Little League Baseball World Series final is set: California will take on Curaçao on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ABC from Williamsport, Pa.

On Saturday, California defeated Texas, 6-1, to win the United States championship, and Curaçao defeated Taiwan by a 2-0 final to capture the international title.

The hero for the California team, which is from El Segundo, was Louis Lappe. The 12-year-old, who stands 6-foot-1, struck out 10 batters and yielded just three hits over 5 1/3 innings on the mound (Little League games are six innings in length) while also delivering a two-run single in the third inning and a three-run homer to right field in the fifth.

California’s other run came courtesy of a leadoff home run to center field by Brody Brooks in the first inning.

Curaçao upset powerhouse Taiwan earlier in the day thanks to a sensational pitching effort from Helmir Helmijr, who gave up just one hit over 5 1/3 innings, silencing Taiwan’s lineup and giving his own the opportunity to break through in the fourth.

That’s when Jay-Dlynn Wiel and Nasir El-Ossais picked up back-to-back singles off Taiwan’s starter, Fan Chen-Jun, who hadn’t given up a hit in the tournament to that point. Both came around to score thanks to some sloppy defense by Taiwan.

With runners at the corners, Curaçao’s Joshua Acosta Fernandez dropped down a bunt, and Taiwan’s third baseman overthrew the catcher, enabling a run to score. With a second runner coming to the plate, the catcher then overthrew Fan, who was covering home, resulting in Curaçao’s second run.

Curaçao’s advancement makes back-to-back Little League Baseball World Series championship game appearances for the small Caribbean island nation. Last year, Curaçao -- which has won the LLBWS once, back in 2004 -- lost to Hawaii.

A team from California has won the LLBWS title seven times since the first championship game in 1947, the most of any U.S. state. This is El Segundo’s first appearance in the title game, and a California team’s first appearance in 10 years.