Little League World Series

Long Beach opens defense of its world title at 5 p.m. PDT today in the opening round of the 47th Little League World Series against Hamilton, Ohio, the Central Region champion. Long Beach is the first team to win consecutive Western Regional titles. It was declared the World Series champion last year after it was determined that a Philippine team that defeated Long Beach in the championship game, 15-4, had used overage players. Four players from the 1992 Long Beach team return.

The Little League World Series final today, the first ever played without a U.S. team, will match a highly productive club from Seoul, South Korea, against a confident one from Mexicali, Mexico. Though the Koreans have scored 29 runs in two games, the Mexican manager said he has a pitcher who can stop them.

When it came down to it, Michael Cepeda's fastball was even better than anyone from Yorba Hills figured it would be Thursday afternoon. And fastballs were what Yorba Hills feared most. Cepeda, clocked as high as 71 m.p.h., gave up only two hits and struck out 13 to lead Spring, Tex., to a 3-1 victory over Yorba Hills of Yorba Linda in the U.S. championship game at the 49th Little League World Series. Spring plays Taiwan in Saturday's World Series final at Lamade Stadium.

A Little League World Series championship had been lost in agonizing fashion, and a group of mothers wanted to give their sons great big hugs. But they weren't allowed to do so by Little League officials, who whisked the Northridge team from the field to a cafeteria where dinner was served to all eight teams who participated in the Series. "This is when you remember they are 12 years old," said Vicki Fisher, mother of shortstop Matt Fisher. "Their little hearts are broken."

Taiwan won its 14th Little League World Series in 17 appearances when Sun Chao-Chi pitched a two-hitter and struck out 16 in a 9-0 victory Sunday over Shippensburg, Pa. In the first rain-delayed title game of the Little League championship, Sun struck out the first eight batters and drove in the game's first run. "He probably had the best curveball we've seen, and he could throw the fastball for strikes," Shippensburg Coach Glen Orndorff said.

Armando Verdugo went 4 for 4 and knocked in four runs Tuesday as Mexicali, Mexico advanced to the semifinals of the Little League World Series with a 6-3 victory over Staten Island. In the opening game of the 39th annual tournament, Seoul, South Korea, routed Maracaibo, Venezuela, 13-2, getting two home runs and five RBIs from Zin Young You. Mexicali, representing the West region, will face the winner of today's game between Morristown, Ky., and Minnetonka, Minn.

Steve Kruger pitched a one-hitter and had the game-winning hit Monday night as Brooklyn Center, Minn., beat Northridge, 4-2, in the first round of the Little League World Series. Springfield, Va., beat Middleboro, Mass., 2-1, in the other American first round game when Ethan Lare homered to lead off the eighth.

In living rooms, restaurants, even the town square, Little League was a big deal Wednesday night in Moorpark. At the residence of Tom and Isabel Scott, about a dozen parents and players assembled to watch Moorpark battle Panama City, Fla., in the final round of pool play of the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

Bleary-eyed from a day of travel and a 7 a.m. wake-up call Sunday, Northridge Little League players braced themselves for about 6.8 zillion questions about the Jan. 17 earthquake that will forever be associated with their city. More than 200 members of the media have been credentialed to cover the eight-team Little World Series, which begins today. Northridge (17-0), representing the Western Region, will face Brooklyn Center, Minn., the Central Region champion, at 4 p.m. (PDT).