Texas rallies to meet Japan in LLWS final

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Rounding second base with big strides, Mark Requena knew he had just given his teammates, and all of Texas, something to smile about.

Requena hit a two-run, goahead home run in the sixth inning and Lufkin, Texas, overcame a five-run deficit to beat Greenville, N.C., 6-5 on Saturday and earn a spot in the Little League World Series championship.

“We talked earlier that we wasn’t out of the ball game,” Lufkin manager Bud Maddux said. “We was going to win this ball game. I got confidence in these guys”

Greenville was previously undefeated in the tournament, having given up just one run and one hit in three games — both to Lufkin, in a 2-1 victory Wednesday — before things changed in a hurry in this one. Pinch hitter Clayton Wigley’s two-run homer to center started the rally for Lufkin in the fourth inning.

In Sunday’s championship, Lufkin will face Japan, which cruised through the international bracket and shut out Mexico 5-0 earlier Saturday.

Players and coaches said the comeback meant a little bit more knowing that Texas, including Lufkin, about 120 miles northeast of Houston, was being battered by Hurricane Harvey and needed some good news.

“Lufkin is our hometown and we love Lufkin, so we want everybody to be safe so we can come back and they can congratulate us,” second baseman Malcolm Deason said.

Japan 5, Mexico 0

Keitaro Miyahara smacked a leadoff home run to left-center, capping a nine-pitch at-bat, as Japan beat Mexico to claim a spot in the Little League World Series championship.

Mexico unraveled after Miyahara’s game-opening homer, giving up three more runs in the first.