Curacao heads to LLWS title game

Curacao didn’t do much at the plate Saturday, knocking out just three hits.

But behind 4 ⅔ innings of shutout ball from Reangelo Decaster, a few defensive gems and Jaydion Louisa’s pinch-hit dribbler, the Caribbean team beat Taiwan 1-0 to move on to Sunday’s Little League World Series championship.

Reangelo was “perfect,” Curacao manager Zaino Everett said. “He kept the ball down and threw good curveballs because they have good bats. A good inside and outside mix helped him get outs.”

Reangelo got some help as he worked out of a first inning jam, thanks to a flyout and a groundout with Liao Yuan-Shu on third. In the fourth, left fielder Jaythan Cordilia ran down and snagged a fly ball that was tailing away to the corner. Afterward, he got a hug from center fielder Davey-Jay Rijke for his effort.

“We were working on defense the whole year,” assistant coach Ringemar Raap said. “What you see is no surprise for us. We trust in these guys and know they can do the job.”

In the fifth, Taiwan loaded the bases on singles by Wu Hsuan-Hung, Hsu Ta-Sheng and Liao Yuan-Shu, which ended Reangelo’s day as he surpassed the 85-pitch limit for Little League. Qshondrickson Doran came in with two outs to face Tseng Yi-Che and got him to fly out to left.

“I said ‘You can do it,’ ” Everett said. “‘I need one out from you. Just throw strikes and we will make the out.’ ”

Davey-Jay rescued Curacao in the sixth, making a warning-track catch on a deep fly ball off the bat of Wang Yuan-Fu to preserve the lead, a play that resulted in Davey-Jay getting mobbed by his fellow outfielders.

Auto racing: Carlos Sainz Jr. will start from the pole Sunday at the Belgian Grand Prix because runaway Formula One points leader Max Verstappen was among the many drivers to be hit with grid penalties. Sainz was actually second fastest to Verstappen in Saturday qualifying.

NBA: Former NBA player Terrence Williams has pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit health care fraud and identity theft in connection to a multimillion-dollar scam against the basketball league’s health plan, authorities said. Williams, 35, entered his plea in federal court in Manhattan on Friday. He is scheduled to be sentenced in January, and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for the conspiracy charge, and a mandatory minimum of two years in prison for the identity theft.

Soccer: After a winless start to the season and a dispiriting loss to its archrival, Liverpool needed to make a statement against Bournemouth on Saturday. A 9-0 win, equaling the record for the biggest ever victory in the English Premier League, sends a loud message indeed.

Tennis: Serena and Venus Williams have been given a wild-card entry for women’s doubles at the U.S. Open. This marks their first tournament as a team in more than four years. Serena announced this month that she is preparing to end her playing career and, while she did not explicitly say the U.S. Open would be her final event, she has indicated it will be. Serena turns 41 next month. Venus turned 42 in June. They have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together. That includes two championships at Flushing Meadows, in 1999 and 2009.