(August 14, 2007) -- Maryland's West Salisbury Little Leauge pushed across four runs in the top of the sixth inning to break open a scoreless game, and then closed out a 4-0 victory over Pennsylvania winner Council Rock Northampton Little League in the Mid-Atlantic Region championship game last night. West Salisbury, which fell to a Pennsylvania team in the 2003 Mid-Atlantic semifinals, won just one of its four pool games, but swept through the tournament's second phase and advances to the Little League World Series for the first time in the league's history.

The Mid-Atlantic representative was the last of this year's Little League World Series qualifiers to be determined, which means our coverage of the 2007 international tournament is complete. Thanks as always to those content contributors who've enhance our coverage by providing results from tournaments in their local areas. We'll be back this off-season with recaps and summaries from this year's action, and will of course return again next year to do it all over again.

(August 12, 2007) -- Oregon's Lake Oswego Little Leauge splashed into the Little League World Series tonight, riding stellar pitching and a trio of home runs to a 6-2 victory over Kent (Washington) Little League in the Northwest Region championship game in San Bernardino, California. The Lakers became the second consecutive league from Oregon's District 4 to reach South Williamsport just one night after Chandler National (Arizona) Little League's win over Solana Beach (Southern California) in the West Region title game gave Arizona District 13 its second consecutive region champion. Lake Oswego meets Southeastern Region champion Warner Robins American (Georgia) Little League at Howard J. Lamade Stadium in South Williamsport Friday evening.

Elsewhere today, Pennsylvania winner Council Rock Northampton Little League rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning to force extra innings, then used a walk-off home run to defeat New Jersey's Randolph East Little League, 6-4, in the first of two Mid-Atlantic Region semifinal round clashes. In the second semifinal, Maryland champion West Salisbury Little League posted a nine-run rally in the bottom of the fifth inning, then survived a five-run outburst in the sixth to topple top-seeded Maine-Endwell (New York) Little League, 11-10. Both Council Rock Northampton and West Salisbury will be seeking their first-ever trip to South Williamsport when they meet in the region championship game Monday evening.

(August 11, 2007) -- One of this year's most dominant teams reached South Williamsport Friday evening, and another moved just a step away. Lubbock Western Little League -- which had outscored its opponents by a 275-3 margin en route to the Texas West championship this year -- completed a five game sweep through the Southwestern Region tournament in Waco, Texas, with a 6-0 victory over Noon Optimist from Roswell, New Mexico. Lubbock, which had reached the Southwestern Region semifinals a year ago with a completely different set of players, now heads to Pennsylvania, where they open play in the Little League World Series a week from today against the Midwest Region champions.

Washington winner Kent Little League also took care of business last night, easing past Missoula Southside (Montana) Little League by a 16-0 score in four innings to move into the Northwest Region title game. Kent lost its second game in Washington's District 10 tournament, but has since reeled off 16 consecutive wins, and has reached double-digits in all ten of its post-district games. Oregon winner Lake Oswego Little League hopes to derail Kent's offense and become the second consecutive team from Oregon's District 4 to claim the region championship. The two meet to settle the issue Sunday night at Al Houghton Stadium in San Bernardino.

(August 8, 2007) -- New Mexico moves into a region championship game for the first time since 1966, as Roswell's Noon Optimist Little League rallied for five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to overcome Lafayette (Louisiana) Little League today, 7-5, in the Southwestern Region tournament semifinals in Waco. Roswell, which did not allow a run in three pool competition victories, now faces a high-octane Lubbock Western (Texas West) offense that has averaged eleven runs per game in four region tournament victories. Lubbock ousted Benton (Arkansas), 15-3, in today's second semifinal round game. The two semifinal winners meet in the region championship game Friday evening for the right to advance to the Little League World Series.

The first U.S. region winner will be decided on Thursday, when Georgia winner Warner Robins American takes on Mobile Westside from Alabama in the Southeastern Region championship game in Gulfport, Florida. Warner Robins edged the Alabama champions, 6-5, on the tournament's opening day, and hopes to become the second consecutive Georgia team to win the region crown. Westside has other ideas, and hopes to follow in the footsteps of the city's South Brookley and Cottage Hill Little Leagues, which advanced to Williamsport in 1964 and 1991, respectively. Game time for the rematch is 8:00 p.m. local time at Arnold S. White Stadium.

(August 3, 2007) -- An avalanche of runs helped Kent Little League start off on the right foot this morning at Al Houghton Stadium in San Bernardino, where the Washington champions ran out to a 25-0 victory over Alaska's Dimond-West Little League in the Northwest Region tournament's opening game. Kent's pitcher struck out eleven of the twelve batters he faced and did not allow a hit, while the Washington offense collected 26 hits, including seven home runs. Maryland champion West Salisbury Little League also flexed its muscles in the Mid-Atlantic Region opener, as six players combined for seven home runs in a 15-3 victory over Delaware's M-O-T Little League. Kent is back in action Saturday against Laramie (Wyoming) Little League, while West Salisbury has an 11:00 a.m. appointment with Pennsylvania winner Council Rock Northampton.

Arizona's Chandler National also came up a winner in its region opener, scoring four times in the top of the seventh inning this afternoon to top Northern California's Moreland District Little League, 6-2, in West Region tournament action. Minnesota's Coon Rapids National did the same in the Midwest Region, tallying three runs in the second inning and riding a thirteen strikeout, no-hit effort by their pitcher to a 3-0 victory over Kansas' Cherokee Community Little League at Stokely Field in Indianapolis.

All eight U.S. regions will see action on Saturday, as will the Canadian Region tournament in Regina, Saskatchewan.

(August 1, 2007) -- Council Rock Northampton pushed across a run in the bottom of the sixth inning tonight to edge State College American in the third and deciding game of the Pennsylvania state championship series at Solanco Little League's field in Quarryville. Council Rock Northampton led 5-1 at one point, but State College scored twice in the fifth and twice more with two outs in the sixth to draw even before the winners' decisive rally.

Council Rock Northampton is the 52nd and final state champion to be crowned this year as the international tournament now moves the next level. Region tournament action begins on Thursday, when Indiana champion New Albany Little League entertains Michigan winner Taylor Northwest in the opener of the Great Lakes Region tournament in Indianapolis. Five other U.S. regions open play on Friday, while the Southeastern, Southwestern, and Canadian Region qualifiers jump back into the fray on Saturday. The first game of the Little League World Series is just sixteen days away.

(July 31, 2007) -- A pair of two-run homers fueled a six-run rally in the bottom of the fifth, and Western Springs broke out of a 2-2 tie to defeat Crystal Lake American, 8-2, in the Illinois state championship game tonight at Roseland Little League's field in Chicago. Crystal Lake pushed a cross a run in the top of the fourth to take the lead, but Western Springs' pitcher retired the final eight batters he faced, and the eventual winners knotted the score on a double steal in the bottom of the inning before earning their first-ever state championship in the major baseball division with the fifth inning push.

Randolph East Little League also made good use of the long ball this evening, turning four home runs into a 7-2 victory over Jackson Township in the final game of the New Jersey state tournament. The title bookends the New Jersey crown won by Randolph West Little League in 2001, and moves the District 1 winners into the Mid-Atlantic Region tournament. Randolph East opens play at Bristol against District of Columbia champion Capitol City Little League on Saturday.

(July 30, 2007) -- A pair of stellar pitching performances for Florida's North Palm Beach Little League today, as the District 7 champions blanked Defuniak Springs 5-0 in a late morning tilt, then returned in the late afternoon to tame Seminole's high-powered offense, 7-0, in the state championship game at Northwest Leon Little League's Canopy Oaks Community Park. The winners allowed only two runs in their five-game stay in Tallahassee, and now move onto the Southeastern Region tournament in Gulfport beginning on Saturday.

Three time zones away, British Columbia's White Rock South Surrey Little League enjoyed a strong pitching performance of its own, riding a no-hitter to a 7-0 victory over North Van Central in the provincial championship game at Dunbar Little League's West Memorial Park. White Rock opened the scoring with a bases loaded triple in the first inning, then added four more in the fifth to earn its second B.C. championship in the past five years. White Rock now heads to Regina, Saskatchewan, where they open play against Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia, in the Canadian Region tournament on Saturday. Elsewhere, Essex Junction downed Shelburne, 9-4, in the Vermont championship game, while Jackson Township staved off elimination by topping Randolph East, 9-1, in the New Jersey championship series in Clayton. The teams have now split their first two meetings, and meet in the tournament finale Tuesday evening at Taylor Bell Field.

(July 29, 2007) -- Walpole American shut down a high-powered Peabody Western offense in the Massachusetts state championship today, stopping the defending state champions 10-0 in five innings to win their first state championship in sixteen years. Walpole's pitcher faced only one batter over the minimum, and received plenty of offensive support thanks to a teammate's three home run, nine RBI afternoon. Walpole will carry the Massachusetts flag at the New England Region tournament, where they open with Rhode Island winner Cranston Western Little League on Saturday.

Solana Beach found itself in a familiar position as the day began, having dropped its opening game for the third straight tournament. But the District 31 champions soon found a familiar outcome: a doubleheader sweep of Claremont Little League to claim the Southern California championship. Solana Beach's 5-4 and 9-1 victories extend the team's season, and they now move onto the West Region tournament in San Bernardino. San Jose's Moreland Little League hopes to join Solana Beach in that tournament, and took a big step forward this afternoon by topping Tracy National, 4-0, in the winner's bracket final of the Northern California divisional tournament in San Lorenzo. Moreland now faces either Tracy National or Visalia American in the first of two potential championship series meetings on Tuesday evening.

(July 28, 2007) -- Round 1 in Southern California's clash of the titans goes to Claremont, which held off a late charge to defeat Solana Beach today, 7-6, in the opener of their best-of-three series at Behringer Park in La Mirada. Claremont broke open a scoreless game with six runs in the fourth inning, and carried a 7-3 lead into the bottom of the sixth before closing out the win. Solana Beach is 11-0 in games with elimination on the line this summer, and 0-3 in their most recent games with a loss to give. The two teams meet again at high noon on Sunday, with a deciding game to follow if necessary.

Florida's North Springs Little League also knows a thing or two about comebacks, particularly after erasing a 6-0 deficit in the bottom of the sixth inning this afternoon to topple New Tampa, 8-6, in pool competition at Canopy Oaks Park in Tallahassee. North Springs used a grand slam to narrow the deficit, then won the game with a walk-off two-run homer. The District 10 champions clinched a berth in Monday's semifinal round with the win, as did North Palm Beach, which blanked West Central Sarasota, 6-0. The two teams jockey for seeding when they meet on Sunday; all four teams remain alive in the other group heading into the final day of pool competition. Elsewhere today, Lake Oswego captured its first-ever major baseball state championship with a 6-0 victory over Pendleton in the Oregon state championship game in Portland. Lake Oswego's pitcher retired the first 15 batters he faced, then issued a leadoff walk in the sixth before closing out a no-hitter. Oregon's new champions open Northwest Region tournament play against North Boise, which claimed the Idaho state championship this afternoon, one week from today.

(July 27, 2007) -- A game for the ages tonight in Indiana, where New Albany captured its first-ever state championship in the major baseball division with a 2-1 extra inning win over Wabash. Neither team scored through six innings in a terrific pitcher's duel, then Wabash took the lead on a solo home run in the top of the seventh. But New Albany -- which has finished as the Indiana runner-up in three of the past four years -- scratched out a run in the seventh and then pushed across another in the bottom of the eighth to win it.

New Albany will be joined at the Great Lakes Region tournament by Wausau Northern, which claimed the Wisconsin title this evening with a 6-2 victory over Appleton Einstein at West Madison's Bill Lister Memorial Field. Appleton landed the first punch with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first, but Wausau responded in the top of the second, tying the game and then moving in front on a grand slam home run. The District 5 champions had reached the title game by overcoming Eau Claire National 7-5 on a walk-off three-run home run the night before. Elsewhere in the Great Lakes, Crystal Lake American and Western Springs both rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning to earn victories in opening day action at the Illinois state tournament, while Hamilton West Side topped Defiance, 9-2, to win its second consecutive state championship in Ohio.

Other title winners on Friday included Chandler National (Arizona), Claremont (Southern California North Sub-Divisional), North Durham (North Carolina), Tullahoma American (Tennessee), and Warner Robins American (Georgia).

(July 27, 2007) -- Six state championships were decided Thursday, including in Rhode Island, where Cranston Western earned its second trip to Bristol in three years by blanking Portsmouth, 2-0, at Wickford Little League's field. Lafayette also captured its second title in three years in Louisiana, beating South Lake Charles 12-4 in the third consecutive state championship game decided between the two leagues. Portland North downed Lincoln in a late-afternoon finale in Maine, while Urbandale captured its first-ever major baseball state championship in Iowa and South Berkeley did the same in West Virginia. Roswell's Noon Optimist Little League, the state runner-up two years ago, cruised past defending champion Carlsbad Shorthorn in an 11-1, five inning game in Albuquerque.

Three other tournaments were extended to a final game this evening. Tustin Western handed Claremont its first defeat of the post-season in a 9-6 victory in the Southern California North Sub-Divisional, while North Durham knocked off North State to force the North Carolina tournament to a final game. West Salisbury did the same in Maine, defeating homestanding Elkton Community Little League by a 16-6 score to set up a final meeting tonight. As many as ten more region qualifiers can be determined in tonight's action.

(July 26, 2007) -- French Creek Valley American and State College American were opening day winners in the East, while Council Rock Northampton and West Chester's East Side American posted wins in the West as action resumed yesterday in Pennsylvania. Four teams remain on both ends of the state, and the Eastern and Western Pennsylvania winners will meet next week in a best-of-three series to determine the state's representative at the Mid-Atlantic Region tournament in Bristol, Connecticut. Elsewhere, a pair of teams punched their tickets for the Canadian Region tournament yesterday. Rouyn-Noranda won its fifth consecutive game in the Quebec Provincial tournament, defeating St. Constant/Delson, 12-9, in the championship game in Verdun, while Calgary West rode a trio of home runs to a 6-3 win over Lethbridge Southwest in the Prairie Provincial tournament finale in Calgary. The two winners will join the host team along with winners from British Columbia, Ontario, and the Atlantic Provinces in Regina, Saskatchewan when region tournament play begins one week from Saturday.

Don't forget also that a pair of key state tournament games will be broadcast on the web tonight -- Buckhead Piedmont takes on Toccoa National in semifinal round action at the Georgia state tournament in a game broadcast live beginning at 8:00 Eastern Time on buckheadbaseball.com, while Louisiana radio station KPEL will be on the scene at the Louisiana state tournament in Alexandria. Lafayette defeated South Lake Charles on the tournament's opening day, and the two meet again tonight at 7:00 p.m. Central Time in the championship round. A Lafayette win ends the tournament, while South Lake Charles aims to extend the tournament by a game with a victory.

(July 24, 2007) -- Tonight is a make-or-break evening for many teams, as state championships could be determined in several states, including Colorado, Nebraska, and Texas East. Monument meets Northern Lights in a game that determines which league succeeds four-time defending champion Academy as Colorado's champion, while Kearney American and Keystone square off for the Nebraska title in Omaha. In the Texas East tournament, Tomball will have a loss to give as they entertain Lamar National at Faulkner Field in Tyler. Meanwhile, in Nevada, Green Valley topped Peccole last night to extend the tournament to a final game.

Lubbock Western Little League continues to put up eye-popping numbers in Texas West, rolling to a 21-1, four inning victory over Wichita Falls last night in Waco. Western's last four victories have come by 32-0, 38-0, 24-0, and 21-1 margins, and Wichita Falls is the first team score against Lubbock since the area championship game. Lubbock Western still needs one more win to secure its second consecutive trip to the region tournament, however, and will face the winner of today's game between McAllister Park National and Wichita Falls tomorrow morning.

Visitors who read about Lubbock Western's title run in last year's Texas West tournament will note that we were able to augment our coverage with game and team photos -- we were also able to do this for the Southeastern and Canadian Region tournaments, among others. We welcome additional galleries from this year's state and region tournaments -- you'd need to own the rights to any photos that you contribute. Please contact us for more details.

Lastly, for those visitors who habla espanol, here are words and pictures from the recently completed Mexican Region tournament. (More coverage can be found here).

(July 18, 2007) -- If there's a need for a reminder that the line between moving on and going home is razor-thin, look no further than District 12 in Northern California. When Almaden South and Almaden North met in pool competition, South needed nine innings before an extra inning push provided a 12-7 win. The two both reached the elimination rounds of the tournament, where each needed seven innings -- North in a 2-1 win over Union, and South in a 4-3 decision over Lincoln Glen -- to set up a rematch. Somehow, the title game provided even more drama. The game was tied 10-10 after three innings, then Almaden South moved in front 14-12 and Almaden North responded with four runs in the top of the sixth to take the lead. But South still had one more chance, and used a walkoff grand slam home run to end the tournament and claim an 18-16 victory.

On the other coast, a pair of Massachusetts leagues wrapped up district crowns with decisive title game wins after traveling through the bottom bracket. Auburn suffered a 3-2 loss in the opening round of the District 5 tournament, then won eight in a row to claim the league's fourth district championship in six years. Auburn hit double-digit runs in six of its victories, including in a 13-1 and 11-1 sweep of Quaboag in the championship series. Meanwhile, defending state champion Peabody Western tallied ten or more runs in seven of its eight games in the District 15 tournament. The only exception was in a third-round loss to Danvers American, and Peabody Western avenged that defeat with 16-1 and 10-0 victories in the championship series. Both teams now enter sectional tournament play, with their sights set on Mark Belanger Field in Pittsfield for the state tournament.

(July 15, 2007) -- As the early returns from district tournament action began rolling in earlier this month, one of the more surprising results from our vantage point here in the cheap seats came in Connecticut's District 3, where Shelton National dropped a 10-5 decision to George J. Hummel Little League in the tournament's opening game. The Nationals have won the past three district championships, and the core of this year's team won the Constitution State's championship in the 9-10 year old division in 2005. Shelton National regrouped from the opening round defeat, capping a seven game run through the tournament's bottom bracket with a 4-1 victory yesterday over Peter J. Foley at Union City Little League's field. Shelton National joins four other Western Connecticut district champions in the Section 1 tournament beginning Tuesday, while the state's remaining six district winners draw swords in the Section 2 tournament. Among the winners there are first-time District 11 winner Brooklyn, and New London American, which captured its first District 10 title in a quarter century with a sweep of Colchester in the tournament's final games. Connecticut's section winners will meet in a best-of-three series to determine the state's representative in the New England Region tournament in Bristol next month.

District tournaments also wrapped up in dozens of other locales across the U.S. and Canada, including in Illinois District 11, where Hinsdale hopes to follow the path that last year's district champion from Lemont took to the Little League World Series. Hinsdale rolled past three pool opponents by a 51-4 margin, then later moved past Clarendon Hills by a 19-0 score in the district championship game. Elsewhere, Limestone became just the third-ever league to win three consecutive titles in District 18 after downing Bradley-Bourbonnais American, 10-2, at the latter team's field in Bourbonnais. Hinsdale moves to Section 2 play and Limestone hits the road for the Section 5 tournament later this week.

One final note -- district action is winding down, but for those of you who like a more multimedia experience, we've added a link below to a team that is just getting started. Clubhouse Gas is a new Web TV vlog with a focus on youth sports. (As with the other links, this is not a paid placement, but we know that the games don't stop once the really important tournaments are over.)

(July 14, 2007) -- Bordentown Little League entered the double-elimination portion of the District 12 tournament in New Jersey as the sixth-seeded team among the nine finalists, and promptly tumbled into the bottom bracket with a 6-1 loss in their opening game. Six victories later, the team emerged with its first-ever district championship. Bordentown earned the final two victories needed to run the table today, sweeping Nottingham Little League, 11-10 and 15-2, in the championship series, and moves on to the Section 3 tournament where they await the yet-to-be-determined District 10 champions on Monday evening.

Urbandale also reached the next level, bashing its way to a seventh consecutive victory in the championship game of the Iowa District 3 tournament on their own Franklin Field. Urbandale allowed just eight runs in the tournament, including three in a 10-3 title-clinching win over Johnston, and scored ten or more in each of its games. Next up is the state tournament in Boone later this month.

(July 13, 2007) -- Cohasset Little League scored three times in the bottom of the sixth inning to overcome Milton American, 7-6, in the elimination bracket final of the District 6 tournament in Massachusetts tonight. The win gives Cohasset a second crack at Braintree American, which sent Cohasset to the bottom bracket with a 6-2 victory on Wednesday. The two teams meet Sunday in Braintree, and a Cohasset win would force a second meeting on Monday. Elsewhere in Massachusetts, Taunton West National rolled to its fifth consecutive victory, topping Taunton East American by a 15-1 score in the District 6 championship game. The win gave the West Nationals their first district crown since 2003, and made them the first qualifier for Section 2 play later this month. Earlier in the week, Saugus National downed Saugus American to win its third straight championship flag in District 16.

South Berwick also kept its hopes alive in Maine District 4 action tonight, winning their fifth consecutive elimination bracket game with a 5-3 decision over West Biddeford. South Berwick avenged its only loss of the tournament to date, and now faces York on Saturday. A South Berwick win sends the tournament to an 'if' meeting on Monday, while York can pocket the title with a win either tomorrow or Monday.

(July 9, 2007) -- District tournaments are wrapping up throughout Texas -- no small feat given the non-stop rain that fell throughout the state for much of the past ten days. A few familiar faces kept their heads above water in Texas West, including defending sectional champions Lubbock Western, Eagle Pass American, and Del Mar. Sectional tournaments are as little as two days away in Texas West, while East Texas sectionals begin this coming weekend. Defending Texas East champion Groves National wrapped up the District 32 crown with a 13-2 win over Bridge City on Saturday night, while First Colony American and Tomball clinched titles in Districts 16 and 28 this evening. The Texas East championship tournament begins on July 21 in Tyler, and the Texas West final four opens July 22 at Marvin Norcross Stadium in Waco.

(July 8, 2007) -- Tokyo Kitasuna Little League carried a commanding 18-2 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning of their quarterfinal round game at the Japanese Region tournament against Hachinohe Aomori, and by the time the third out was recorded, the lead had grown by three touchdowns. The 39-run output marked the second-highest total ever scored in a Japanese national tournament game, and the winners now face the league that owns the highest-ever output (43 in a 2005 opening round game) when they meet Musashi Fuchu Little League in next weekend's semifinal round. The two former Little League World Series champions -- Musashi Fuchu won in 2003, and Tokyo Kitasuna in 2001 -- both qualified for region tournament play from the the Tokyo district tournament, but this will be their first meeting in this year's international tournament. Kawaguchi Little League, last year's Japanese champion, is still in the hunt as well, and will face Hiratsuka Little League in the other semifinal round encounter.

Tournament action is in full swing closer to home, including in Southern California, where all of the 41 district championships are still up for grabs. Claremont Little League is just a win away from the District 20 crown after dispatching four opponents by a 79-2 margin. They'll meet either Pomona National or LaVerne National on Tuesday evening. Moorpark (District 13), Tijeras Creek (District 68), and Torrance (District 27) all reached the divisional last year and are among a collection of teams just a win away from claiming 2007 district crowns.

(July 5, 2007) -- One of our regular content contributors took time to remind us of something we'd almost overlooked in the hustle and bustle of this year's district action: today marks exactly eleven years to the day since this site made its debut. Our inaugural year included coverage of tournament results in Illinois, New Jersey, and Texas (no East and West divisions back in the day). The scope of our coverage has grown considerably as the summers have passed, but even today, is nowhere near all-encompassing.

With that in mind, starting today, you'll see a couple of new items just below this box. Kidon Media Link is among the most comprehensive collections of media links available on the web, and topix.net provides quick access to topic-specific news articles from selected publications around the world. (Note that these are not paid placements, just sites that we find very useful.) At the same time, more leagues and local radio stations are starting to stream play-by-play through your browser, and we will highlight those webcasts that we are aware of in the event that you want to tune in. If you're aware of international tournament webcasts that we should add to this list, contact the Unpage with the relevant information.

This shouldn't be interpreted to mean that we're pulling back on our coverage -- far from it. We do have the pedal to the floor, though the pace of updates will seem more USPS than FedEx at the tourney's outset until the field narrows a bit more. There will be much to report in the coming weeks as action continues throughout the world.

(July 4, 2007) -- We've seen plenty of fireworks the past few days as local communities throughout the U.S. celebrate Independence Day, but perhaps the most impressive display was at Seminole Little League's field in Florida, where the host team ran out to a decisive 26-2 victory in the District 5 championship game. Seminole rang up double-digit runs in each of its four victories in the tournament, and earned the league's sixth district championship so far this summer across all baseball and softball divisions. The newly-crowned champions now set their sights on the Section 6 tournament in South Fort Myers in a fortnight's time.

Piscataway American Little League in New Jersey won a district title of its own last summer, and kept alive its hopes for a repeat performance by the slimmest of margins this week in District 17 action. The Americans finished in a three-way tie for fourth place in Pool 'A' competition, and earned the final spot in the tournament's second phase thanks to a runs-per-defensive-inning ratio that bettered the next best candidate by a razor-thin .0016 runs per inning. Piscataway allowed 46 runs in 26 defensive innings (1.7692), while Watchung Little League surrendered 49 runs in 27-2/3 innings (1.7708). The difference: when deadlocked 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth inning of their meeting against Watchung, Piscataway American ended the game with a two-run home run. Had the defending champions scored any other way, they would have tallied just one run, and their summer would have ended. Pool 'B' champion North Hunterdon American awaits when the tournament's second phase begins tomorrow evening.

(July 1, 2007) -- The difference between remaining undefeated and needing eight consecutive wins to survive district tournament play was exactly one run today in Massachusetts District 7. Plymouth West, Tom Wallace Barnstable American, East Bridgewater, and Plymouth all advanced to the winner's bracket semifinals after prevailing in one-run contests this afternoon. Plymouth West needed seven innings to move past defending champion Barnstable National, 5-4, and Plymouth also needed extra time to topple two-time state champion Middleboro, 7-6. The four winners are off until July 5, while the losers begin their climb through the bottom bracket with elimination games on Tuesday.

(June 30, 2007) -- We've taxied down the runway for the past few days, but the U.S. portion of the international tournament really begins to take flight today with games throughout the country. Many districts in California -- both Northern and Southern -- will swing into action, as do several of the districts in Florida.

New Jersey got most of its schedule in despite periods of inclimate weather over the past seven days, and both Hasbrouck Heights and Saddle Brook took advantage to claim four wins during pool action in District 5. Hasbrouck is the lone unbeaten team in Pool 'A', while Saddle Brook has a half-game edge on Lyndhurst National and Rutherford National in the opposite pool after both won their initial three games. Meanwhile, defending Texas West champion Lubbock Western also reeled off a trio of wins, outscoring its opponents by a 61-0 margin to move into the championship game of its area tournament in District 2 play. Western will face either Lubbock Southwest or Midwest in the area title game this weekend.

(June 23, 2007) -- Hard to believe, but exactly two months from today, the international tournament field will be reduced to four teams as the last of the U.S. and international championship game qualifiers are determined at Howard J. Lamade Stadium in South Williamsport. Much will happen between now and then, and it starts today for the U.S. portion of the international tournament, as district tournament action kicks off in a handful of Eastern states, including Connecticut and New Jersey. Action in several other states will commence in the coming week, and by July 4, the tournament will be in full swing. As always, we rely on our visitors to help us stay up-to-date, so if you can provide results or pairings that are not listed on this site, please contact the Unpage.

(June 10, 2007) -- June 15 is just days away, and we've begun our coverage of Little League Baseball's 2007 international tournament. For the 12th consecutive year, we will be bringing you results from tournaments around the U.S. and Canada, beginning with early round district games and culminating in the final steps on the road to Williamsport. As always, we rely on our visitors to help us stay up-to-date, so if you can provide results or pairings that are not listed on this site, please contact the Unpage.

A number of rule changes have been implemented for this year's tournament, and you can review the complete list on the official Little League Baseball website. The most discussed change is the new pitch count regulation, which limits a pitcher from throwing more than 85 pitches in a game, and bases the rest requirement on the number of pitches thrown. Previously, pitchers could throw unlimited pitches over the course of six innings, and rest requirements were based on the number of innings pitched. A second key rule change involves the penalty for a mandatory play violation. Every non-injured player on a roster must make one plate appearance and play three consecutive defensive outs in the field. In the past, the penalty for not fulfilling this mandatory play requirement was an automatic forfeit; beginning this year, the minimum penalty is a two game suspension for the manager. (Additional penalties, including forfeiting the game or disqualifying the team, may also be applied based on the tournament committee's review of the situation.)

District tournament action commences in late June, and the Little League World Series begins on Friday, August 17.

(June 2007) -- Update - We've added photo galleries to our coverage of last year's two Little League World Series finalists. Click for coverage of the Japanese national tournament and the Southeastern Region tournament. Thanks to Columbus Northern Little League for their assistance with our photo coverage of the Southeastern Region tournament.

We welcome additional galleries from other state and region tournaments in our coverage area -- please contact us for more details.

(June 2007) -- We have added more details from 2006 tournament action, including summaries of state tournaments in Iowa, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Nevada, as well as the Mid-Atlantic, New England, Northwest, and West Region tournaments.

(May 2007) -- We have expanded our coverage to include state tournament results from Maryland dating back to 1957 -- click for details.

(April 2007) -- We have added more details from 2006 tournament action, including summaries of state and provincial tournaments in Florida, Kansas, Maine, New Jersey, Ontario, Oregon, and Rhode Island, as well as the Midwest Region tournament.

(April 2007) -- 2007 international tournament action is still a couple of months away in the U.S. and Canada, but the games are set to begin next weekend in Japan, where some 300 leagues are competing for the sixteen berths in the national tournament. Japanese tournament games are traditionally held on weekends and holidays, and most districts will begin play before or during Golden Week in early May. The Japanese Region tournament is set to begin July 7 near Tokyo, and the national champion advances directly to the Little League World Series.

(March 2007) -- Update - We've added photo galleries to our coverage of last year's Canadian Region and Texas West tournaments. We welcome additional galleries from other state and region tournaments in our coverage area -- please contact us for more details.

(March 2007) -- Welcome back! Our customary period of off-season radio silence is complete, and we have added more details to our coverage of the 2006 international tournament for many of the states and regions in our coverage area.

State tournament coverage: Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Northern California, Pennsylvania, Southern California, Texas East, Texas West, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

Region and national tournament coverage: Canadian Region, Southeastern Region, Southwestern Region, and the Japanese national tournament.

Our coverage of the Canadian Region and District of Columbia tournaments includes batter-by-batter recaps of championship game action.

Looking ahead to the 2007 tournament, officials in Pennsylvania and Southern California have reorganized the states' districts into new sectional structures -- click to view details of the new sectional alignments.

2006 headlines