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The Little League Baseball World Series continued with four games on Friday, bringing participants one step closer to winning the 2024 title.
As the LLBWS prepares for the championship game on Sunday, Aug. 25, here's a rundown of Friday's matches.
See the complete Little League Baseball World Series bracket here.
LLWS Round 1 Friday: Schedule and Results
Chinese Taipei 11, Australia 0
Venezuela 10, Mexico 0
Venezuela, crowned the Central American regional champions in dominant fashion after a 10-0 victory over Mexico, looks set to become the favorite to win the tournament for the third time in its history.
Johnson Frates gave Venezuela the lead with a three-run homer in the top of the first inning.
By the third inning, Venezuela had built a 9-0 lead. The game ended in the fourth inning on a mercy rule.
Mexico will have another chance to stay in the tournament if it wins the final against Puerto Rico or Canada on Sunday, while Venezuela advances to the winners' bracket to face Japan on Monday.
Hawaii 5, Illinois 0
Hawaii shut out Illinois, 5-0, becoming the first American team to win two games in a row.
Evan Tavares capped off a strong performance on the mound with an RBI single in the third inning, sending three runners home and giving Hawaii a four-run lead.
Hawaii also beat New England on Wednesday. The West Division champion will face Nevada, while Illinois will face either South Dakota or New York in the finals.
Chinese Taipei 11, Australia 0
Chinese Taipei scored six runs in the first innings and recorded an 11-0 mercy-rule victory over Australia in the fifth innings.
Liao Xuan-ho had three hits and five RBIs: a one-RBI single in the first inning, a two-RBI single in the third inning and a two-RBI double in the fifth inning. Ciou Zhi-Kai walked three and scored three runs.
Chinese Taipei's three pitchers combined to hold the opposition to a hit in five innings, including Chiu Wei-Che, who struck out five batters in two innings of relief.
Chinese Taipei defeated Canada 8-0 in the opening game and outscored their opponents 19-0. They will next face Cuba (Villa Clara).
Australia will face the winner of the Europe-Africa (Brno, Czech Republic) and Caribbean (Santa Cruz, Aruba) matches in the final.
Florida 6, Washington 1
Strong pitching and timely hitting led Florida to a 6-1 victory over Texas.
Florida's three pitchers (Luis Caro, Liam Morrissey and Lathan Norton) combined to strike out nine on two hits. Florida also held Texas hitless over the final three innings.
At the plate, Florida scored one run in the second inning, two each in the third and fourth innings, and one more in the sixth on a solo home run by James Feliciano.
Other key moments included Caro's bases-loaded walk to put the lead at 4-1, followed by Trey Alexander's RBI single to make it 5-1.
Florida will face Texas, and Washington will play the winner of New Hampshire vs. Pennsylvania in the finals.
