Iowa Thumps Kansas, Heads To Little League Midwest Semi-Final

WESTFIELD, IN — The game between Iowa and Kansas was close until the third inning Thursday. Then it turned into an all-out shellacking that looked more akin to batting practice than an actual game. The Grandview Little Leaguers, based out of Des Moines (2-1), boat raced the J.L. Hutchinson Baseball Little League team, based out of Pittsburg (1-2), 14-0 and will move on to play Minnesota in the the Little League Baseball Midwest Regional semi-final. That game is scheduled for Friday.

Iowa jumped out to an early lead plating a run in the first inning. The team then piled on four more runs in the third inning to push the lead to five runs. In the fifth inning, the boys from Des Moines put up a crooked number: a whopping nine runs to seal the games' fate. The offense, lead by Blake Larson, Brody Watson, Maddox O'Conner and Connor Duong, finished with 11 hits. Watson and Larson both homered in the game, with Larson leading the team with five RBIs on the day. O'Conner lead the team with four runs scored and pitched an absolute gem on the mound, hurling five innings of three-run, shut-out ball. He stuck out six and walked just one batter.

Kansas was unable to get anything going all day. The top three batters in the lineup combined for zero hits and the team as a whole was only able to get three. Starting pitcher Jackson Turnbull turned in two solid innings, giving up one unearned run on one hit. He struck out three batters, to boot. But trouble followed for Pittsburg's relief pitchers. John Potusek, Beau Pasteur and Conner VanBecelaere gave up 13 runs — 12 earned — in three innings of relief, with Pasteur giving up a pair of home runs.

The winner will play Minnesota on Friday in the semi-finals. The winner of that game will go on to play North Dakota in the regional championship Saturday.

Roster

Iowa

Connor Duong

Maddox O'Conner

Blake Larson

Brody Watson

Trenton Tharp

Alex Stewart

Kobe Kunert

Gage Schutjer

Brayden Shutt

Cade Byers

Jace Embry

De Shawn Childers

Matthew Jr. McCrea

Ayden Bennett

Kansas

Beau Pasteur

Tucker Akins

Cooper Simmons

Jackson Turnbull

Bryant Kitchen

Grant O'Dohery

Conner VanBecelaere

Kysen Bennett

William Fern

John Potusek

Parker Johnston

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