Big Third Inning Lifts Worcester

Frank Flynn hit a three-run homer and struck out nine Monday to lead Worcester, Mass. to a 6-0 victory over Fort Worth that clinched the top seeding from Pool A at the Little League World Series.

Worcester batted around and scored four runs in the third inning when Flynn hit his 260-foot home run--the fence in left-center is 205 feet away--that made it 3-0.

“If they throw a fastball anywhere over the plate, I’m going to try to hit it somewhere where nobody’s there,” Flynn said.

Said Worcester Manager Fran Granger: “When Frank hit that home run, it was like a cloud was lifted and our bats just came alive.”

Zack Ford’s RBI single made it 4-0.

Worcester and Fort Worth finished with 2-1 records, but Worcester clinched the top spot in the pool with the win and by giving up only four runs in pool play. Waipahu, Hawaii, also finished 2-1, but Fort Worth won the tiebreaker for the second spot and a berth in a U.S. semifinal Wednesday against Louisville, Ky.

Worcester added two runs in the fourth, the second on Keith Landers’ RBI single.

In other games, Travis Jones hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to help Waipahu defeat Webb City, Mo., 2-1. Reinius Roosberg pitched a no-hitter for Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, which defeated Moscow, 13-0 in four innings. Sendai, Japan, defeated Monterrey, Mexico, 11-0, in four innings and Valencia, Venezuela, defeated North Regina, Saskatchewan, 9-3.