JAPAN WINS THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AT THE 2012 CAL RIPKEN WORLD SERIES Japan Takes the World Championship Title for the Second Year in a Row at the Cal Ripken World Series

Aberdeen, Md. – For the second year in the row, Japan won the Cal Ripken World Series Championship. They defeated the U.S. Champions from Montgomery County, Maryland by a 17-7 margin. This is the first time that Maryland has represented team USA in the World Championship Game in Cal Ripken World Series history.

John Paul Walsh clubbed two home runs, but it wasn’t enough to carry Maryland to a win on Sunday.

Japan defeated Maryland with 14 hits, including seven extra base hits.

Japan scored seven runs in the sixth on an RBI single by Ryoki Nagai, a two-run home run by Takashi Nakayama, a three-run double by Koki Okada, and an RBI single by Hiroki Matsumoto.

Koki Okada had three extra-base hits for Japan throughout the game.

Matsumoto was in control on the bump, giving up just one hit, allowing no earned runs, and striking out three during his two innings of work.

Shunsuke Yano got the win in relief for Japan. Yano pitched two innings and allowed six runs.

Japan got the win even though Nakayama didn’t last long on the hill. Nakayama was pulled after just two innings, surrendering one hit and one run. The lead stayed with Japan after the first, when Japan scored six runs on three doubles and two singles.

After pushing across four runs in the bottom of the fifth, Maryland closed the gap to just three runs, facing 10-7 deficit against Japan with only one inning left to play.

An RBI double by Marcus Brown and a three-run home run by Walsh sparked Maryland’s rally.

But Japan’s offense came alive in the bottom of the sixth for seven runs, and Maryland couldn’t muster any offense in the bottom half of the inning. With the final out, Japan stormed the field with their Host Family team ambassadors carrying the Japanese flag onto the field.

Japan has won two consecutive World Championships.

Aberdeen, Md. – The New England Regional Champions from Newtown, Ct. were selected as the winners of the Lip Dub Competition at the 2012 Cal Ripken World Series for their exceptional creativity and team spirit.

Watch their winning video right here:

In the Fan Favorite category, the Southwest Regional Champions from Little Rock, Ark. won with 35% of the vote! Newtown finished second with 23% of the votes from fans. See Little Rock’s video and all the other Lip Dub submissions by clicking here.

Congratulations to all the teams for competing in this year’s Cal Ripken World Series!

Aberdeen, Md. – Jun Young Ha both hit and pitched well for Korea, but it wasn’t enough as Korea fell just short, losing to Japan 7-6 at Cal Sr.’s Yard on Saturday night.

Tomoya Koike paced Japan at the plate, going 2-3, driving in one and scoring two runs. He also singled in the first and second innings.

Hiroki Matsumoto worked out of several difficult moments for Japan, pitching 3 2/3 innings in relief, allowing no earned runs on one hit. Japan’s starter, Yuto Anzai, was relieved after giving up two hits and two runs in the first inning.

Matsumoto faced his toughest situation in the sixth inning, when Korea rallied to tie the game at 6 runs apiece.

Kaito Yoshida came to the plate for Japan in the bottom of the sixth and led off with a quick single. He advanced to second on a balk by Korean pitcher Gun Woo Lim and then advanced to third on a wild pitch.

Two pitches later, the ball got away from the Korean battery again, Yoshida sprinted home to score the winning run and seal Japan’s return trip to the World Championship game on Sunday.

Watch Japan try to defend it’s title against the State Champions from Maryland at Cal Sr.’s Yard on Sunday at 2pm. Or watch the game at home on CBS Sports Network.

Aberdeen, Md. – Middle Atlantic jumped out to an early lead in the United States Championship game on Saturday at Cal Sr. Yard, but was unable to hold on and lost 2-1 to the Maryland State Champs, who move on to their first-ever appearance in the Cal Ripken World Series Final.

The third inning saw Middle Atlantic score it’s only run of the day on a solo home run by Javier Rosario.

While Middle Atlantic led 1-0 until the fourth inning, Maryland worked its way back and took the lead on an RBI single by Brady Pearre. The lead stayed with Maryland after the fourth, when it scored two runs on an RBI single by Pearre and a hit by pitch.

Jake Heskett recorded the win for Maryland State Champs, allowing only one run over six innings. He struck out four, walked one and surrendered two hits.

“It’s hard to put how I feel about today’s game into words,” said Maryland’s Coach, Will Frazier. “Playing in a Championship Game like this, when you have Cal Ripken sitting up in the press box watching us play baseball… We really wanted to play baseball the right way, and that’s what these kids have done all week.”

This is the first time since the Cal Ripken World Series made its home in Aberdeen, Md. that a Maryland team has advanced to the World Championship game.

“They came out here and just battled every game,” Coach Frazier said about his team. “My starting pitcher Jake Heskett was just incredible, absolutely incredible; he couldn’t have pitched any better. We are just super proud to be here. We weren’t sure if we would make it this far when we first came into the World Series. We traveled up and down the east coast a lot, but even then, you just don’t know who you’re going to play here, which makes it hard to prepare for this. But reaching outside the east coast boundaries really makes it tough as a coach. So we wanted to be prepared, but my kids were prepared for this moment all year.”

Get Your FREE Tickets to the World Championship now!

Fans can watch the World Championship LIVE on CBS Sports Network or follow the tournament through the tournament’s official social media pages including Twitter (@CRWSAberdeen), and at Facebook.com/CRWSAberdeen.

Last year, the Raivel family hosted players for the Cal Ripken World Series for the first time. Jason and Jenny Raivel opened their home to Luis and Francisco, two players from the Dominican Republic in 2011. The Raivels treated the players as their own – piling Luis and Francisco into the family car alongside their 13-year old daughter, Jordan, and their 11-year old son, Matt. Shuttling everyone to games and practices, feeding everyone’s growing appetite, and of course, adopting the Dominican Republic as their team throughout the mid-August tournament.

They did everything that typically comes with having 12-year-old ballplayers in your house. As temporary members of the Raivel family, Luis and Francisco weren’t even excluded from the intense family game of “Punch Buggy.”

Months later, when asked to write and deliver a speech about an important event in her life at her eighth grade convocation, Jordan Raivel chose to talk about the Cal Ripken World Series and the Host Family experience.

Here is what she wrote:

The Cal Ripken World Series and World Peace

By Jordan Raivel

Have you ever thought world peace was unattainable? So did I. That is, until I witnessed it on the baseball field. Ever since I watched the news when I was little, I was always upset by the stories of people going against people, countries fighting countries. That is when my personal quest for world peace began. Thus far, my quest has included solving conflicts with friends to raising a service dog and my family’s latest adventure, being a Host Family for the Cal Ripken World Series.

The Cal Ripken World Series is a ten-day long baseball tournament in Aberdeen, Maryland. Baseball has always been one of my favorite sports, and after going to one of the tournament games two years ago with my dad, I decided that I wanted to become an ambassador for a team and become a Host Family. My mom and dad thought that this would be a great opportunity to meet people from around the world, and agreed to do it. My family then became a Host Family for two boys from the Dominican Republic, 12 year old Luis and 13 year old Francisco. My brother became a bat boy for the team, and I was their ambassador. Along with meeting many people from the Dominican Republic, I met people from Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Canada, and Mexico. I also met people from different states, including North Carolina, New Hampshire, and Hawaii.

Throughout the tournament, I realized that the stadium was basically like a mini United Nations, not just because people from other countries were there, but because everyone got along through their common passion for baseball. I remember on the first day of the tournament, I was in line to get lunch at the cookout, standing behind a player from North Carolina. While there, a random player from Canada walked up to the boy in front of me and exclaimed, “Hey! What’s up?” And they continued to have a conversation, as if they had known each other forever. I realized that this was so strange to me because I had never seen it before. I was so used to people ignoring each other, only caring about themselves and not caring about other people. But even just saying a simple “hello” could make things better. This showed me that the world can get along, if we just step out of our comfort zones and try.

I also realized that the world can get along if we all learn and accept each other’s customs. For example, the “Punch Buggy” game is very intense in my family. After realizing that Luis and Francisco had no idea what we were doing, and why we were screaming random colors and punching each other, I explained to them how to play. A couple of days later, while in a store, Luis walked up to me, nonchalantly tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Punch Buggy-silver…no punch back” while pointing out the window. Sure enough, there was a silver punch buggy right outside the window. This is a smaller example of learning other peoples’ customs, and trying them out as your own, which can carry into things such as accepting other people’s religions and ways of living.

I believe that if we all tried to achieve world peace, our world would be a much better place. Not just because peace is considered “important” but because if we gain world peace now, other problems in our society can be solved. No more war coverage on the news, no more bomb drills in foreign countries. Now, after going through the Cal Ripken World Series experience, I do believe that world peace can be attained, one punch buggy at a time.

The Raivel family chose to continue their new family tradition by hosting two players from the Dominican Republic for the 2012 Cal Ripken World Series.

Aberdeen, Md. – Playoff Friday is the first day of elimination play to determine the participants of the International Championship and U.S. Championship game at the Cal Ripken World Series.

The U.S. Championship game will begin Saturday, Aug. 18 as Maryland takes on Middle Atlantic at 5 p.m. The International Championship game will follow as Republic of Korea plays Japan at 7:30 p.m. Both games will take place at Cal Sr.’s Yard and both games will be broadcast LIVE on CBS Sports Network.

Get your FREE tickets for Championship Weekend now!

The International Championship, U.S. Championship and World Championship games for the 2012 tournament will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network and CBSSports.com on August 18 and 19. CBS Sports Network’s James Bates will be in the broadcast booth throughout the Live telecasts from Cal Sr.’s Yard in Aberdeen, Md. along with MLB Hall of Famer Cal Ripken on Saturday, August 18, and both Cal and Bill Ripken on Sunday, August 19.

Here is a recap of all the action on Playoff Friday:

Dominican Republic 3, Republic of Korea 7

Republic of Korea advanced to the International Championship game after taking home a 7-3 victory over the Dominican Republic in six innings at Cal Sr.’s Yard on Friday.

The Dominican Republic couldn’t get anything going as long as Hyeon Su Kim was on the mound. Kim held the Dominican Republic hitless over 1 2/3 innings, allowing no earned runs, walking none and striking out four.

Luis Almanzar racked up two RBIs on two hits for the Dominican Republic and homered in the fifth inning.

Korea stayed on top until the final out after taking the lead in the third inning, scoring three runs on two errors and an RBI single by Kim.

Korea added four more runs in the bottom of the fourth. A three-run home run by Gun Woo Lim ignited the offense, scoring Shihiro Hironaka and Kyu Yeol Bae. That was followed by Young Soo Yoon’s single, scoring Jun Young Ha.

Two runs in the top of the fifth helped Dominican Republic close its deficit to 7-3, but Kim got Nerio Rodriguez to strike out to end the game in the sixth inning.

Maryland 8, Southeast 3

Southeast (Jupiter, FL) lost despite Tyler Ward’s spectacular day from both the mound and the plate. Ward racked up two RBIs on two hits for Southeast. He homered in the second inning and singled in the third inning.

Ward was in control on the rubber and held Maryland hitless over 2 2/3 innings, allowing no earned runs, walking none and striking out three. In the top of the second inning, Maryland took an early, 3-0, lead. After Jake Heskett doubled, Maryland kept the pressure on Southeast pitching, as Walsh homered, scoring Heskett.

Brooks Bengston racked up three RBIs on two hits for Maryland, hitting a single in the third inning and hitting a homer in the fourth inning. John Paul Walsh got the win for Maryland, allowing only three runs and striking out five over six innings.

“It’s just incredible to win – not as a coach, but more for the players,” said Maryland Manager Jody Pearre. “It’s an amazing opportunity for them to be able to do something once in a lifetime. Not many people ever get to play baseball on national television, so the kids are going to be super excited. I think we’ve worked them hard. We’ve played a lot of the better teams up and down the East Coast to prepare ourselves for this type of event so the kids are relaxed and focused. Hopefully, we’ll get a curfew tonight and get them to bed so we can show up tomorrow and be ready to roll.”

Mexico 0, Japan 6

Three pitchers joined forces on Friday to throw a no-hitter for Japan in a 6-0 victory in six innings over Mexico at Cal Sr.’s Yard.

Hiroki Matsumoto, Takashi Nakayama, and Shoto Yamazaki rounded out their sterling stat line with 10 strikeouts and one walk.

Mexico had no answer for Nakayama, who held Mexico hitless over four innings, allowed no earned runs, walked none and struck out six. Six runs in the opening three innings allowed Japan to easily put away Mexico. Japan was led by a flawless day at the dish with Yamamoto who went 2-2 against Mexico’s pitching.

Middle Atlantic 9, Pacific Southwest 8

The bats were busy at Cal Sr.’s Yard on Friday, and when the dust cleared Middle Atlantic (Bronx, NY) had a 9-8 win over Pacific Southwest (Mililani, HI).

The teams combined for 28 hits, including eight extra base hits.

Middle Atlantic starter Jimmy Abreu struggled, allowing eight runs in 5 2/3 innings, but the bullpen let up no runs and the offense banged out 15 to pick up the slack and secure the win for Middle Atlantic.

The game was back-and-forth heading into the ninth, with six lead changes. Middle Atlantic finally managed to grab the lead after a strong ninth inning.

A passed ball scored Jason Manuel Pineda to give Middle Atlantic the lead for good. Pineda got on base four times in the game for Middle Atlantic, scored three runs and had one RBI.

Jose Navarro recorded the win for Middle Atlantic, tossing two innings of shutout ball.

The Pacific Southwest attack began with a single from Mathew Inaba. Keene Tanaka singled, bringing home Shea Yamaguchi. The scoreboard lit up again for Pacific Southwest when Donahue scored on an RBI single by Ryne Oshiro.

“I feel excited and great,” said Peggy Guzman, Manager for the Middle Atlantic team from the Bronx. “Thank goodness we won. It took a long time to get the win, but we made it, so here we go to the semi-finals. In the next game, we are looking forward to more defense, and hopefully we make it to the World Championship.”

Fans can follow the tournament through the tournament’s official social media pages including Twitter (@CRWSAberdeen), and at Facebook.com/CRWSAberdeen.

The remaining tournament games will air on the internet radio station, SFMsports.net and real-time stats and score updates are also available at www.GameChanger.io.

The inaugural Cal Ripken World Series All-Star Game pitted Team Bambino against Team Ironman, with representatives from the six domestic teams that did not advance to Playoff Friday and players from Australia and Canada, who also did not advance to Playoff Friday.

Prior to the All-Star Game, two consolation games were played on Cal Sr.’s Yard:

New England jumped out to an early lead and didn’t look back in their 10-0 win over Australia. And later in the evening, Harford County picked up a win over Canada by a 12-5 margin.

The All-Star Game featured incredible defense and pitching in a low-scoring affair. In the end, Team Ironman came out on top with a 2-1 victory over Team Bambino.

Here are the players who had the honor of playing in the inaugural CRWS All-Star Game:

Team Bambino

Jack O’Loughlin – Australia
Alex Hall – Australia
Jett Wright – Australia
Jess Williams – Australia
Sean D’Adamo – Harford County
Jake Johnson – Harford County
Andy Dodd – Harford County
Nick Sulzbach – Harford County
David Johnson – Ohio Valley (Mattoon, IL)
Brock Moncel – Ohio Valley
Dalton Armes – Ohio Valley
Garrette Branson – Ohio Valley
Lucas Salazar – Midwest Plains (Lamar, CO)
Davin Jacobs – Midwest Plains
Andres Guevara – Midwest Plains
Colton Eberhardt – Midwest Plains

Team Ironman

Soren Graversen – Canada
Kyle Bloor – Canada
Josh Dobberthien – Canada
Zach Goruk – Canada
Connor Cline – Southwest (Little Rock, AR)
Trey Harris – Southwest
Blake Schluterman – Southwest
Seth Van Dover – Southwest
Brett Coons – Pacific Northwest (Longview, WA)
Zachary Brown – Pacific Northwest
Andrew Walling – Pacific Northwest
Jack Childers – Pacific Northwest
Lucas O’Brien – New England (Newtown, CT)
Adam Bergeron – New England
Connor Barrett – New England
Jason Hebner – New England

Aberdeen, Md. – Today was the last day of pool play at the Cal Ripken World Series (CRWS) at the Ripken Academy in Aberdeen, Md., featuring elite 11 and 12-year-old youth baseball players from around the world. All tournament games are FREE to the public. Free tickets for Championship Weekend (Aug. 18-19) are available online.

Here is a recap of Wednesday’s tournament action:

Southeast 9, Ohio Valley 8

Both of the offenses dominated Wednesday as Southeast and Ohio Valley put up 20 hits and 17 runs combined in a 9-8 Southeast win. The first inning saw Southeast take an early lead, 1-0, when Tyler Ward doubled, bringing home Austin Temple. Ohio Valley answered Southeast’s inning, scoring their first run. Ohio Valley’s Brock Moncel held Southeast hitless over one inning, allowing no earned runs, walking none and striking out two. The game was back-and-forth heading into the sixth, with nine lead changes. Southeast took the lead in the sixth inning and held on for the victory. A sacrifice fly by Sean Maletzke scored Tyler Ward and gave Southeast the final lead.

“We’re not pleased with the way we played,” said Southeast Head Coach Chris Wood. “We felt like the kids just showed up and thought it was just going to happen. But, at the end of the day, a bad win is better than a good loss – that’s the way I look at it. We’re going to try and improve before the next game. We have to go back to the drawing board – we’re going to go out to an Orioles game tonight, enjoy ourselves and get some good sleep. Tomorrow we’ll come out and practice for two hours and prepare for a very important game.”

Canada 2, Dominican Republic 6

Pedro Reyes went 1-1 as Dominican Republic took home a 6-2 victory over Canada in six innings on Wednesday, singling in the fifth inning. Canada had no answer for pitcher Steve Martinez, who kept runners off the bases during his appearance. Canada managed just two hits off of Martinez, who allowed no earned runs, walked two and struck out five during his four innings of work. Jarrod Gourley was hot from the plate for Canada, blasting a home run in the fifth inning.

Middle Atlantic 11, Midwest Plains 5

Middle Atlantic took the lead early over Midwest Plains, capturing an 11-5 victory on Wednesday. An RBI triple by Jemal Betances, an RBI double by Samir Portorreal, and an RBI single by Carlos De La Cruz in the first inning fueled Middle Atlantic’s offense early. Tandi Tejada boosted his batting average thanks to a perfect 2-2 day at the plate to pace Middle Atlantic. Midwest Plains were led by Davin Jacobs who went 2-2, drove in one and scored one run. Jason Manuel Pineda got the win for Middle Atlantic, allowing four runs over four innings and striking out six.

“It’s very exciting to win another game and continue to the semi-finals against Hawaii on Friday,” said Peggy Guzman, the manager for the Middle Atlantic team from the Bronx. “Hopefully, we’ll get a win from that one as well. Since we have off tomorrow, we’re going to practice and play hard to prepare for the next game.”

Pacific Northwest 5, New England 6

New England outlasted Pacific Northwest on Wednesday after seven lead changes, winning 6-5. Lucas O’Brien blasted a walk off home run for New England in the bottom of the sixth. Adam Bergeron went 2-2 at the plate to pace New England. He singled in the second inning and homered in the fourth inning. Benjamin Dieckman got the win for New England, tossing one inning of shutout ball. Coons had a short outing, lasting only 1 1/3 innings on the hill for Pacific Northwest. Coons surrendered two hits and two runs.

“It feels awesome to win,” said Christopher O’Brien of the Newtown, Conn. team representing New England. “Now, we’re 3-1. We were in the [Cal Ripken] World Series for 10-year-olds and we were 0-4 so we came here with the goal of winning one game and then expectations changed. Technically, we’re tied for first, but with the tie-breakers where they are we came up in third place. We get to play Australia tomorrow, which is really cool – we get an extra game. The kids are really excited we exceeded our expectations and can’t wait for our next game.”

Pacific Southwest 6, Southwest 0

Two pitchers joined forces to throw a no-hitter for Pacific Southwest in a 6-0 victory in six innings over Southwest on Wednesday. Ryne Aniya and Trevor Ichimura rounded out their sterling stat line with six strikeouts and one walk. Aniya held Southwest hitless over five innings, allowed no earned runs, walked one and struck out five. Pacific Southwest racked up seven hits, including five extra base hits. Pacific Southwest scored three runs in the first on a two-run error and an RBI double by Ryne Oshiro. Shea Yamaguchi was hot from the plate for Pacific Southwest. Yamaguchi went 2-3 and scored two runs, hitting a double in the first inning and a single in the fifth inning.

“The highlight of the game was probably Ryne Aniya’s outing,” said Pacific Southwest Head Coach Gary Ichimura after the game. “He pitched five innings of shutout ball – five strikeouts, one walk and no hits. Overall, our experience at the Cal Ripken World Series has been fabulous. We have always dreamed of being here and to finally be here is amazing.”

Republic of Korea 13, Australia 3

Hyeon Su Kim was strong at the plate and on the bump, carrying Korea to a 13-3 victory over Australia on Wednesday. Kim racked up three RBIs on two hits, homered in the third inning and doubled in the fourth inning. Kim held Australia hitless over one inning, allowed no earned runs, and struck out three. The biggest inning for Korea was the fourth, scoring nine runs. Min Gyu Kim got the win for Korea, allowing only one run and striking out three over two innings. Australia’s Jess Williams racked up two RBIs on one hit and doubled in the third inning.

Mexico 1, Japan 11

An early lead of nine runs in the first three innings gave Japan the victory over Mexico on Wednesday evening, 11-1. A sacrifice fly by Kosuke Ito, an RBI single by Tomoya Koike, a two-run homerun by Ito, and an error helped Japan gain the early lead. Mexico’s Juan Escarpita had a good day at the plate, driving in one run and scoring one run. He homered in the second inning. Japan’s Takashi Nakayama got it done on the mound on the way to the win, allowing one run over two innings, striking out four and surrendering just one hit. Mexico’s Luis Tinoco lasted 1 2/3 innings on the mound, allowing six hits and six runs.

All tournament games will air on the internet radio station, SFMsports.net and simulcast through live Web cameras on worldseries.ripkenbaseball.com powered by WatchMeSports.com for the second year in a row. Real-time stats and score updates are also available at www.GameChanger.io.

Aberdeen, Md. – Today was the fourth full day of pool play at the Cal Ripken World Series (CRWS) at the Ripken Academy in Aberdeen, Md. featuring elite 11 and 12-year-old youth baseball players from around the world. All tournament games are FREE to the public. Free tickets are available online.

Here is a recap of all of Tuesday’s action:

Canada 6, Australia 13

Australia’s Jack O’Loughlin lead the team to a 13-6 win over Canada as he clubbed two home runs at Cal Sr. Yard in six innings. The game was back-and-forth heading into the fifth, with five lead changes. Australia pulled out the win thanks to a strong fifth inning which saw a seven run explosion, breaking open a 6-6 tie. O’Loughlin led the team in home runs which also included homers by Conor Laverty, and Jett Wright. Jesse Williams got the win in relief for Australia. Williams pitched two-thirds of an inning and allowed no runs.

Harford County 5, Midwest Plains 1

Harford County jumped on Midwest Plains (Lamar, CO) early on its way to a 5-1 win on Tuesday at Fenway Park in six innings, scoring three runs in the first inning. Nick Sulzbach had two extra-base hits for Harford County, hitting a double in the first inning and a homer in the fourth inning. Andy Dodd put together a nice outing, holding Midwest Plains hitless over three innings, allowing no earned runs, and strucking out five. Midwest Plains scored its only run of the game on an RBI single by Davin Jacobs in the second inning.

“This was such a great game for our team, since the game before this was very close,” said Jim Wax, Head Coach of the Harford County team. “I think this is Harford County’s first win in three years of playing in this tournament, so this is absolutely a great experience for these kids. It’s unbelievable, I’m very proud of this team.”

Pacific Southwest 12, Pacific Northwest 2

The Pacific Southwest (Mililani, HI) team showed how competitive of a team they are today with a commanding victory over the Pacific Northwest (Longview, WA) team to improve to a 2-1 record in the CRWS. They scored at least one run every inning and their pitching and defense did a tremendous job in limiting the Pacific Northwest team from getting any offense going.

Both offensively and defensively the Pacific Southwest team was led by Mathew Inaba. He showcased his defensive skills in the first inning by making a sensational running catch in right-center field. In the fourth inning, Inaba crushed a three-run homerun over the right field wall that bounced off of the hotel. Pitchers Ryne Oshiro and Jarron Carter combined to strike out seven batters and only gave up three hits en route to their team’s victory.

“I thought we played really well today,” said Pacific Southwest Head Coach Gary Ichimura. “But I don’t think coaching made a big difference – it’s really the kids. I just remind them to play Shocker baseball – execute their plays, do what they practice and play within their means.”

Mexico 4, Republic of Korea 5

Mexico came out on fire, but couldn’t hang on to the lead, losing 5-4 against Korea on Tuesday at Fenway Park. While Mexico led until the sixth inning, Korea worked its way back and took the lead on an RBI single by Jun Young Ha. Hyeon Su Kim of Korea pitched two innings and allowed no earned runs on one hit. Francisco Pena was solid at the plate for Mexico. He went 2-3, drove in one and scored one run. Pena homered in the first inning and singled in the sixth inning. Korea’s Ha allowed four hits and four runs, and was a replaced after two innings. Mexico jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the top of the first. A solo home run by Sergio Pena started the inning off. Additionally, Mexico’s Escarpita scored on a two-run home run by Sergio Gaxiola and scored on a solo home run by Pena.

Southeast 8, Middle Atlantic 4

Reese Albert went 1-2 and hit a home run in the first inning, sparking Southeast to an 8-4 victory in six innings over Middle Atlantic. Jemal Betances had a busy day at the plate, collecting two extra-base hits. He doubled in the first and third innings and singled in the sixth inning. Tyler Ward allowed four runs over six innings. Ward struck out six, walked none and gave up seven hits. Middle Atlantic brought home one run in the third inning, and matched that run total in the fourth. In the third, Middle Atlantic scored on an RBI double by Betances, plating Joshua Russo. Middle Atlantic answered Southeast’s top inning with two runs of its own in the sixth.

“The boys were just tremendous today, they never gave up,” said Southeast Head Coach Christopher Ward. “They started out a little bit slow the first two games of the series, but I think they finally woke up and got the jitters out of them, really playing like we play Jupiter baseball. We are sitting in a good position at 3-0, so we can’t take anything for granted. Our motto all year long has been ‘one game at a time,’ so that’s how we are going to continue.”

Dominican Republic 4, Japan 14

Japan took the lead early on against Dominican Republic, capturing a 14-4 victory on Tuesday at Cal Sr. Yard. Japan put some runs on the board early with the help of a sacrifice fly by Kosuke Ito, an RBI double by Koki Okada, an RBI single by Shunsuke Yano in the first inning and a two-run home run by Tomoya Koike. Dominican Republic was led by Pedro Reyes’s hitting. Reyes went 2-3, drove in one and scored two runs. He homered in the third inning and singled in the fifth inning. Shoto Yamazaki recorded the win for Japan. He pitched one shutout inning, striking out two, walking none and surrendering one hit.

Overall, Japan had six hitters combined for 13 hits, eight RBIs and 12 runs scored. Ernesto Adames lasted just one-third of an inning on the hill for Dominican Republic before being replaced, allowing three hits and three runs. Japan’s Yano was taken out after just two innings and surrendered three hits and one run. After pushing across one run in the top of the second, Dominican Republic faced just a 3-1 deficit. An RBI single by Franklin Santana set off Dominican Republic rally. Jose Valdez flew out to end the Dominican Republic threat. Japan scored four runs of its own in the second.

Newtown 0, Maryland State Champs 6

After a rain delay postponed the Newtown v. Maryland State Champs game on Tuesday, Aug. 14, the game continued on Wednesday, Aug. 15 at 10:30 a.m. Maryland beat New England 6-0 at Cal Sr.’s Yard. Maryland’s Jake Heskett kept New England off the board during his six innings of work, allowing only five hits, one walk and striking out 10. Maryland blew out New England thanks to seven hits, including three extra base hits. John Walsh racked up four RBIs on two hits for Maryland, homered in the third inning and singled in the fifth inning.

All tournament games will air on the internet radio station, SFMsports.net and simulcast through live Web cameras on worldseries.ripkenbaseball.com powered by WatchMeSports.com for the second year in a row. Real-time stats and score updates are also available at www.GameChanger.io.

Aberdeen, Md. – Today was the third full day of pool play at the Cal Ripken World Series (CRWS) at the Ripken Academy in Aberdeen, Md. featuring elite 11 and 12-year-old youth baseball players from around the world. All tournament games are FREE to the public. Free tickets to Championship Weekend are available online.

Pool play resumes at 1pm on Tuesday, Aug. 14 as Canada takes on Australia at Cal Sr. Yard and Harford County takes on Midwest Plains at Fenway Park. There are seven regularly scheduled international and domestic games on Tuesday at Ripken Academy.

Here is a recap of all the action that took place on Monday afternoon and evening:

MD State 2, Pacific Southwest 14

Kyson Donahue hit and pitched Pacific Southwest to victory Monday afternoon in his team’s 14-2 win over Maryland. Donahue racked up five RBIs on two hits, with a double in the second inning and homerun in the third. On the mound, Donahue held Maryland hitless over three innings, allowing no earned runs and struck out four. The offense exploded for the Pacific Southwest in the third inning as the team scored nine runs. MD State’s Jake Heskett scored two RBIs on one hit and homered in the fourth inning. Brendan Collins had a tough outing on the mound, lasting one and two-thirds innings, allowing three hits and five runs.

Midwest Plains 2, Southeast 12

Southeast cruised to a blowout 12-2 win over Midwest Plains in five innings Monday afternoon. Southeast scored six runs in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Sean Maletzke, a walk by Timothy Kudlinski, and a grand slam homerun by Reese Albert. Austin Temple got the win in relief, pitching two and two-thirds innings, allowing one run. Midwest Plains’ Nicholas Navarette allowed one hit and one run in his team’s loss before being replaced after two innings.

“We finally came alive with our bats today,” said Southeast Manager Scott Mazur. “I think this whole experience is a pretty major thing for a 12-year-old kid, as well as for the parents and the coaches. We are definitely looking forward to our next game.”

Republic of Korea 12, Canada 2

Korea defeated Canada on Monday 12-2 after racking up 10 runs in the second inning. Euj Chan Sin of Korea was on base three times in the game, scoring two runs, an RBI and a single. Korea’s pitcher, Min Gyu Kim held Canada hitless over two innings with no earned runs, zero walks and one strike out. Canada committed three errors in the loss, which led to two unearned runs for Korea. Canada’s pitcher, Soren Graverson, lasted one and two-thirds innings after giving up six hits and 11 runs.

Ohio Valley 9, Harford County 4

Ohio Valley built an early lead against Harford County, scoring four runs in the first inning en route to a 9-4 win on Monday. Ohio Valley’s Davis Johnson racked up two RBIs on two hits, singled in the second inning and doubled in the sixth. Brock Moncel was successful on the mound, striking out six, walking two and giving up seven hits in five innings. After scoring in the bottom of the fifth, Harford County rallied to bring the deficit to just 7-4 before being shut down by Moncel.

“I thought we played really well and had a strong game today,” said Ohio Valley Manager Dave Johnson. “We jumped out to an early lead in the first inning which was really good for us. Brock pitched an outstanding game and didn’t allow a lot of hits in a row. Overall, our defense played solid.”

Australia 0, Japan 10

Eight runs in the first three innings of play on Monday gave Japan the early lead in the team’s 10-0 victory over Australia. A two-run double by Japan’s Koki Okada, a two-run home run by Tomoya Koike and an RBI single by Takehito Yamamoto in the first two innings supplied the offense early for Japan. Australia could not get anything going against Japan’s Yukiya Tsujii on the mound, managing just one hit off of the pitcher who allowed no earned runs or walks, and struck out two during his three innings of work. Mitchell Driver of Australia lasted just two innings as pitcher, allowing seven hits and five runs.

Southwest 5, Pacific Northwest 8

Brett Coon and company led the Pacific Northwest (Longview, WA) team over the Southwest (Little Rock, AR) team 8-5 last night at Cal Sr.’s Yard. The Pacific Northwest team got out to an early lead when Coon blasted a three-run shot over the left center field wall in the first inning. Coon continued to put on a hitting clinic as he went 3-3 with five RBIs and was a triple away from the cycle.

The Southwest team made a valiant effort to comeback in the fourth inning, as they were able to knot up the score at five runs apiece. However, the Pacific Northwest team had other plans as they quickly responded with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning. On top of a strong offensive game for the Pacific Northwest team, their three pitchers were able to put on a tremendous performance to help ensure the victory for their team.

“It feels good to get that first win,” said Pacific Northwest Head Coach Jack Childers. “The boys played a lot better tonight and fought throughout the game. The team that brought us here hasn’t shown up yet, but when they do everyone will know.”

Dominican Republic 5, Mexico 2

Dominican Republic and Mexico both threatened with rallies, but it was Dominican Republic that eventually took advantage in a 5-2 win at Cal Sr. Yard. Mexico out-hit Dominican Republic six to five, but Mexico stranded 11 runners on base. Franklin Santana racked up two RBIs on one hit for Dominican Republic and homered in the fifth inning. Efrain Lopez had a hot bat for Mexico, going 2-2, scoring one run and hitting a triple in the sixth inning. Pablo Sanchez got it done on the bump on the way to a win, allowing one run over four innings and striking out six.

Fans can follow the tournament through the tournament’s official social media pages including Twitter (@CRWSAberdeen), and at Facebook.com/CRWSAberdeen.

All tournament games will air on the internet radio station, SFMsports.net and simulcast through live Web cameras on worldseries.ripkenbaseball.com powered by WatchMeSports.com for the second year in a row. Real-time stats and score updates are also available at www.GameChanger.io.