The small town of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, took its spot at the center of the sports world Thursday with the beginning of the 2019 Little League World Series.
A total of 16 teams from around the world earned the right to compete for a championship by winning regional tournaments.
The opening day of action was supposed to feature eight teams in four games, but the weather failed to cooperate. Rain in the area caused three matchups to be postponed until Friday.
Per an official announcement from the Little League International Tournament Committee, Friday's schedule will now feature seven games.
Little League World Series Results - Aug. 15
Game 1: Curacao def. Australia, 11-0
Little League World Series Schedule - Aug. 16
Game 2: Rhode Island vs. Virginia, 10 a.m. ET
Game 3: South Korea vs. Venezuela, 11 a.m. ET
Game 4: Minnesota vs. Kentucky, 1 p.m. ET
Game 5: Japan vs. Italy, 2 p.m. ET
Game 6: Hawaii vs. Louisiana, 4 p.m. ET
Game 7: Mexico vs. Canada, 5 p.m. ET
Game 8: Oregon vs. New Jersey, 7 p.m. ET
Curacao 11, Australia 0 (4 innings)
Curacao's first Little League World Series game since 2016 was a successful one with an 11-0 win over Australia.
Coming out of the Caribbean regional with a perfect 6-0 record, the Curacao squad brought that momentum with them to Williamsport. After a scoreless first inning, they exploded with seven runs in the second inning and four more in the third.
The top three hitters in Curacao's lineup—Zion Pardo, Curley Martha and Shendrion Martinus—combined to go 6-for-8 with five runs scored and three RBI. Martha had the game's only homer, a two-run blast in the bottom of the third.
Jurdrick Profar, the younger brother of Oakland A's infielder Jurickson Profar, also got in on the action with a single in the bottom of the first:
With the offense taking care of business, Martinus was handling things on the mound against Australia. The right-hander needed just 37 pitches to complete a four-inning no-hitter. He was excellent at keeping the ball out of the air, generating 10 groundball outs.
The win gives Curacao an extra day of rest before returning to the field Sunday against the South Korea-Venezuela winner.
Even though this isn't the start Australia was hoping for, the team will have an opportunity to get back on track Saturday against the loser of the South Korea-Venezuela matchup.
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