SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Juriënsly De Windt and Shardijon De Lanoi combined to drive in six runs, and Curaçao won its second Little League World Series title, beating Nevada 11-2 in the championship game on Sunday.
De Windt started on the mound and allowed two runs in three innings. Giendry Ryan and Steven Felix were nearly flawless in relief with four strikeouts over the final three innings for the tiny island nation, which previously won the tournament in 2004.
Curaçao had advanced to the finals by winning the international title in 2005, 2019, 2022 and 2023. This time, the group from Pariba Little League in Willemstad had enough firepower from the mound and at the plate to beat the U.S. champion.
Curaçao went unbeaten in the double-elimination tournament before overcoming an early two-run deficit to the team from Henderson, Nevada.
Ryan fanned four in 2⅓ innings. Felix forced Nevada’s final batter to pop out to Giendry in center field. Once the ball was safely in his glove, the celebration began.
Giendry tossed his glove in the air as his teammates swarmed him in the outfield. Curaçao’s infielders showered each other with water as a pack of fans tucked behind the third base dugout waved the Curaçao flag.
They were quiet early as it looked like Nevada, the first U.S. team to advance to the championship without a home run, would finally crack Curaçao’s standout pitchers.
Following a bunt from Nevada’s Michael Kleiner, Maddox Bryan hit a line drive to center field, driving in two runs.
Curaçao tied it when De Lanoi lined a ball off the glove of a diving Kleiner at second base.
The international champs took the lead for good on a two-run double by Jaymiëll Martina in the fourth. De Windt added a bases-clearing hit in the fifth.
Nevada also was the runner-up last year, falling to Taiwan in the championship game.
Harkins writes for the Associated Press.
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