Little League World Series : Garcia Connects Again--Irvine Gains Title Game, 8-1

Aron Garcia hit a three-run homer to cap a six-run second inning as Irvine, Calif., defeated Chesterfield, Ind., 8-1, Thursday to earn a spot in the Little League World Series championship game.

In the other semifinal, Wang Chih-Kwou of Hua Lian, Taiwan, and Nelson Baez of Moca, Dominican Republic, each pitched seven shutout innings until the game was suspended because of darkness. The teams will resume play today at 10 a.m.

Ryan Jones led off Irvine’s six-run inning with a double to left field. A walk, two hit batters, an error and a fielder’s choice brought three runs across before Garcia hit an opposite-field home run down the line in left.

It was Garcia’s second home run in two World Series games.

Irvine added a pair of runs in the fifth.

With one out, Garcia walked, and Loc Tran followed with a double to the wall in right. Both runners scored on a ground ball deep in the hole at shortstop that Brad Ash fielded but threw low to first base.

Chesterfield scored its only run in the sixth inning when David Cook doubled and came around to score on a fielder’s choice.

Fine defensive plays by Irvine, the Western U.S. champion, helped keep Central U.S. champion Chesterfield from scoring earlier.

With two out in the first inning and Chesterfield’s Bryan Gorman on third base with a triple, Irvine center fielder Geoff Ebdon made a running catch of Cook’s drive to the gap in left center.

With runners on first and second in the fifth, Irvine second baseman Ryan O’Toole made a leaping stab of Scott Waldbridge’s liner and threw to Garcia for an inning-ending double play.