Connecticut (Metro) and Aruba (Caribbean) will compete in the third-place game of the Little League World Series on Sunday, Aug. 24.
Connecticut (4-1) is looking to bounce back from an 8-2 loss to Nevada in the U.S. bracket finals.
Connecticut’s pitchers struggled throughout the game.
Pitcher Luca Pellegrini struggled to minimize Nevada’s offense, allowing eight hits and six earned runs in 5.1 innings pitched. He had just three strikeouts.
Tommy D’Amura only recorded an out while pitching for Connecticut, but allowed two earned runs by walking two runners.
D’Amura and SJ Taxiltaridis were the only players to score a run for Connecticut.
Aruba (4-2) is also looking to rebound from a 1-0 loss to Chinese Taipei (Asia Pacific) in the International bracket final.
Pitcher Jayderick Wederfoor allowed two hits and the game-winning run during his 3.1 innings pitched. He struck out three and walked two.
Follow along with USA TODAY Sports‘ coverage of the Little League World Series on Sunday:
Connecticut (Metro) 3, Aruba (Caribbean) 2 (fourth inning)
Cayden Fraser has an RBI-triple to get Aruba on the scoreboard. It was his first hit of the Little League World Series. Josiah Koolman added an RBI-ground out. After three innings, Connecticut leads 3-2.
Palazzolo comes out the bullpen for Connecticut after starter Charlie McCullough went two innings and allowed one hit, one walk and struck out two batters.
Connecticut’s SJ Taxiltaridis delivers a two-run double to give his team a 2-0 lead. He would take third on the throw back into the infield and later scored on a wild pitch. After the top of the third inning, Connecticut leads 3-0.
Aruba’s Liam Peña Caraballo got the first hit of the game off Connecticut’s Charlie McCullough, which came with two outs. But McCullough struck out the next batter ending the threat. Still scoreless after two innings.
Sanots needed only nine pitches to retire three Connecticut batters via strikeout (his third of the game) and two groundouts in the top of the second. We are still scoreless.
Dunlap got a good jump on a ball streaking toward the line in right field. He lays out, all 5-foot-11 of him, to make the diving catch for the best defensive play of the game so far. He then makes the ‘no fly zone’ gesture by making an X with his hands. We are scoreless after one inning.
For the second time since 2017, a team from Connecticut is in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, but this time from the Metro region bracket. Prior to 2022, Connecticut was a member of the New England region, but the Little League World Series expanded from 16 teams to its current format of 20 in 2022. This year, Fairfield National Little League (Fairfield, Connecticut) edged St. James-Smithtown Little League (Smithtown, New York), 12-1, to guarantee its spot at the LLWS. — Sherlon Christie
Aruba Center Little League (Santa Cruz, Aruba) made a return trip to the LLWS this year after capturing the Caribbean region title. Overall, this was Aruba Center’s third trip to the LLWS, after previous appearances in 2024 and 2011, according to Little League. The 2024 team went 2-2 in in Williamsport. — Sherlon Christie
Aruba’s Anthony Sanots got out of the bases loaded jame with back-to-back strikeouts. Scoreless after the top of the first inning.
Connecticut is the visting team for today’s third place game at the Little League World Series and faces Aruba’s Anthony Santos. Meanwhile, Aruba will be the home team on the scoreboard and will see Connecticut’s Charlie McCullough in the bottom of the first inning.
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, PA — Nevada manager TJ Fechser says every game has an inflection point, that moment on which everything turns.
Pitcher Garrett Gallegos had just tagged out a hitter on a diving play as part of a wild fifth-inning sequence. That was it, Fechser says.
But in kids’ sports, if coaches handle them right, we always get our chance to grab for more big moments.
There were now two outs and Gallegos had one more batter. His team was ahead by two runs. He said something to himself and got a swinging strikeout to end the Fairfield (Connecticut) threat.
“The whole sequence was really emotional,” the young right-handed pitcher said after the game, “thinking that was just the last out of me pitching ever pitching in Little League. It was very sentimental and like very sad, almost. But it was exciting at the same time, all the emotions together.”
Nevada wound up winning 8-2, setting up the Aug. 24 Little League World Series championship against Chinese Taipei at 3 p.m. on ABC. − Stephen Borelli
Connecticut (Metro) and Aruba (Caribbean) start the action with the third place game at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN and then Nevada (Mountain) and Chinese Taipei (Asia-Pacific) finish today’s schedule with the Little League World Series championship game at 3 p.m. on ABC.
Here’s how each team got to their final game at the LLWS.
The 2025 Little League World Series will be broadcast on ESPN platforms, with the championship game airing on ABC. Games will also be available to stream on ESPN+.
All times Eastern. For a full list of results, click here.
International bracket championship
United States bracket championship
Third-place game
Championship game
Sunday’s action in the Little League World Series begins at 10 p.m. ET with the third-place game. That game will be followed by the championship game between Chinese Taipei and Nevada at 3 p.m. ET.
The third-place game and the championship will be played in Howard J. Lamade Stadium at the Little League World Series Complex in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
For a full list of results, click here.
Wednesday, Aug. 20
Thursday, Aug. 21
Saturday, Aug. 23
Wednesday, Aug. 20
Thursday, Aug. 21
Saturday, Aug. 23
The championship and third-place games are scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 24 in Howard J. Lamade Stadium at the Little League World Series complex in Wiliamsport, Pennsylvania. The game follows the third-place game at Lamade Stadium.
LLWS third-place game — Sunday. Aug. 24
LLWS championship game — Sunday. Aug. 24
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