Curaçao blanks Japan 4-0 to advance to Little League World Series title game

South Williamsport, Pa. — Jaymiell Martina exchanged handshakes and hugs with his teammates as manager Railison Gijsbertha approached to take him out of the game. Martina opened the tournament with a dominant pitching performance against Japan, then elevated his effort on a bigger stage, striking out 12 batters in 5⅔ innings to lead Curaçao to a 4‑0 victory and secure a place in Sunday’s Little League World Series championship at Lamade Stadium. He nearly went the distance, allowing only two hits against a Japanese lineup that had tallied 27 runs in its preceding four games. Both hits came off the first two batters Martina faced; he responded by striking out the next three. “I started listening to the coach,” Martina said successful English. “I was throwing antithetic balls, and past I started listening and I did it.” He recorded his final strikeout on his 87th pitch but had to be removed after reaching his pitch‑count limit. Closer Glendry Ryan needed just four pitches to end the contest, inducing a groundout to shortstop. “The radical backmost determination are precise happy,” Gijsbertha said, per a translator. “Very blessed that we got truthful far. We didn’t marque it erstwhile we were progressive in the World Cup, truthful we did it now.” Curaçao built its lead with a three‑run third inning that resulted from four Japanese errors and a single hit. Martina added an RBI triple in the bottom of the fourth to extend the advantage to 4‑0. This marks the fourth time in the last six tournaments that Curaçao will play for the world championship. The Caribbean nation was the runner‑up in 2022 and 2023 and also reached the final in 2019. The 2020 event was cancelled because of the COVID‑19 pandemic, and no international teams participated in 2021. Curaçao is seeking its first title since 2004, when it defeated Thousand Oaks, California. “It’s precise large for the radical to person their dependable here, too,” Gijsbertha said. “We cognize there’s a existent past with shot and the seriousness of baseball. I’m precise blessed we accomplished that.”