SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — Kaiden Dinh hit a walk-off single and Johnston, Iowa rallied past Warwick, Rhode Island 3-2 on Tuesday in an elimination game of the Little League World Series.
Miles Risley led off the bottom of the sixth inning by reaching on an error and Michael Siemer blooped a single into right field to put runners on the corners with one out. Then Jack Emanuel walked to load the bases.
After Rhode Island starter Colin Lemieux left due to a pitch limit, Josh Larson hit the first pitch to tie it at 2-2. On the next pitch, Dinh singled through the same hole on the left side to win it.
Lemieux allowed just four hits and struck out 13 in 5 1/3 innings. Iowa reliever Tyler Moore threw 60 pitches in four innings and allowed only one earned run.
Dinh led off the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run to tie it at 1-1. But Kenny Rix hit the second pitch of the sixth over the left-field wall to give Rhode Island a 2-1 lead.
Iowa plays Tennessee at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
Iowa opened the LLWS with a 5-1 win over California on Friday then lost 14-4 to Kentucky on Monday.
Kentucky 14, Iowa 4
Spencer Newman was 4 for 5 with four RBIs and Bowling Green, Kentucky scored 11 runs in the seventh inning for a 14-4 victory over Johnston, Iowa on Monday night in the Little League World Series.
Kentucky had the bases loaded in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
With the bases full in the seventh, Patrick Forbes and Devin Obee were both walked and Tate Hanks crossed home plate on a wild pitch for a 6-3 lead. Newman drilled a two-run double and Turner Nottmeier hit a RBI double to right to make it 9-3.
Iowa loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the seventh but was held to one run on Josh Larson’s RBI single. Iowa starter Kaiden Dinh left with an apparent injury to his throwing arm in the top of the third.
Kentucky will play New York on Wednesday night.
Iowa 5, California 1
Josh Larson and Michael Siemer combined for three scoreless innings of relief to help Johnston, Iowa beat Chula Vista, California 5-1 on Friday in the Little League World Series.
California lost its first opening-round game in the LLWS since 2002.
Siemer doubled off the wall in the third inning to score JT Garcia from first to tie it at 1-1. Iowa loaded the bases in the fourth and scored on a fielder’s choice and an errant throw for a 3-1 lead.
Garcia led off the top of the fifth with a solo home run to center field and Cade Godwin scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-1.
Iowa starter Jack Emanuel left after three innings with an apparent injury to his throwing arm. He threw 43 pitches and gave up an earned run on a sacrifice fly.
Daniel Leon threw 88 pitches in 4 2/3 innings for California and struck out seven.