The Bayonne Little League team is on the verge of elimination from the Little League World Series after a 6-0 loss to Davenport (Iowa) Northwest on Sunday. The defeat ended Bayonne's impressive 15-game winning streak and puts the New Jersey representatives in a do-or-die situation.
Davenport Northwest's pitching shut down Bayonne, holding them to a single hit throughout the game. The lone hit came in the bottom of the third inning off the bat of right fielder Joey Dwyer. Bayonne's star pitcher Mason Rincon, who had previously shown dominance, pitched three innings and allowed three runs on four hits.
Davenport Northwest's starter, Anthony Johnson Jr., was particularly effective, striking out 15 batters in 5 2/3 innings. "The kid had a great changeup, a great curveball and he wasn’t wild today," Bayonne coach Justin Smith said of Johnson's performance. "He was hitting everything he had to hit. He was very good. Hats off to him."
Davenport Northwest established an early lead, scoring two runs in the first inning due to early mistakes by Bayonne, including a wild pitch and an error. Johnson later extended the lead in the third inning with a single and hit a three-run home run in the sixth.
Rincon's outing was affected by a high pitch count in the first inning, where he threw 31 pitches. He finished the game with 65 pitches before Gabe Garcia Jr. took over on the mound. Despite the loss, Rincon recorded six strikeouts.
Bayonne will now compete in the elimination bracket and faces the winner of a game between the Southwest and Great Lakes regions on Tuesday night. "They got punched in the face today and now they got to wake up tomorrow and regroup and keep fighting," Smith said. "I think they’ll regroup and I think they’ll keep fighting."
Coach Smith emphasized the team's approach moving forward: "We take it one game at a time. Can’t tell the kids to go win four games. It’s one game a day. That’s what you have to go for."
The team has previously navigated win-or-go-home scenarios during the regional tournament, and they aim to continue their fight for a chance to reach the U.S. championship game.