Manager Sees No Reason to Fear His Opponent

Toms River, N.J., Manager Mike Gaynor brought his team to the Little League World Series in 1995 and went 1-2.

He says this time around hasn’t been much easier.

And about that 4-0 record this week, coach?

“I think there’s a little more parity this time,” he insists. He may have a point.

The East champions needed 11 innings to beat Jenison, Mich.; defeated Greenville, N.C., by only a couple of runs--twice--and defeated Cypress on a homer late in the game.

The average margin of victory overall in the U.S. pool was 2.5 runs.

Gaynor said he expects to win today’s final against international champion Kashima, Japan, although he insists he hasn’t even seen his opponent play.

“I’ve seen them play,” shortstop Todd Frazier said after Toms River defeated Greenville, 5-2, Thursday. “They’re a reasonable team. I think we have a chance to beat them.”

Added ace Scott Fisher, who could get the start Saturday afternoon: “Japan is a good team. They can hit the ball.”

Kashima’s star this week has been Tetsuya Furukawa, who is six for 14 with two home runs and seven runs batted in.

On the mound, Furukawa is 2-0 with 19 strikeouts, including 12 in a 3-2 victory in eight innings against Langley, British Columbia, on Thursday as his team became the first Japanese team in the final in 22 years.

Sayaka Tsushima, the sixth girl to play in a Series, will be the first girl to play in a final. She went three for four Thursday and has scored three runs this week.

Manager Atsushi Ohkawa acknowledges being a little disappointed with his team’s performance: It went 3-1 in getting to the final. Langley beat the Japanese, 10-5, Tuesday by scoring nine runs in the final two innings.

But, he said, “we feel like we have a lot of power right now. It’s been so long since a Japanese team went to the World Series.”

Toms River counters Furukawa with Frazier, who is five for 11 with three home runs and nine RBIs. Brad Frank is batting .600 with five singles and three RBIs. Gabe Gardner has two home runs and five RBIs.

The final will be televised nationally by ABC at 12:30 p.m.