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Showing who's boss Tokyo defeats Venezuela 10-0 to open LLWS
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) -- Leo Nakayama struck out 12 and homered as Japan established itself as a contender as the 54th annual Little League World Series opened Sunday. Musashi Fucho Tokyo -- taking advantage of four errors and six walks -- rolled to a 10-0 victory over Sierra Maestra-Maracaibo, Venezuela. Tokyo is attempting to defend the nation's title after Osaka, Japan beat Phenix City, Ala. in this past year's championship game. Sunday's game was called after the fifth inning due to Little League's 10-run rule when Japan scored twice to go up 10-0, and Maracaibo failed to score in the bottom half of the inning. Allowing only two hits while walking six, Nakayama was so dominating that he recorded the game's first 11 outs by strikeout before Elvis Leon grounded out to third base with two outs in the fourth inning. He also had three hits, one a towering home run to left-center to lead off the fourth, and scored three runs. Yuusaku Nakanishi and Kazuma Yamada each drove in two runs each for Tokyo, which sent eight men to the plate in three of the first four innings. Ruben Mavarez and Manuel Castellano had the lone hits -- both singles -- for Maracaibo. Starting pitcher Marcel Prado struggled, giving up six runs -- two earned -- on one hit and four walks, leaving the game with one out in the second inning. Ahead 2-0 after the first inning, Tokyo broke the game open with a four-run second despite managing just one hit. Tomoya Fujisaki scored on a walk to put Japan up 3-0. Then, Daiki Ichimura scored on an error, Nakanishi singled to drive in Nakayama and Yamada scored on an error. In all, Tokyo scored its first six runs on two hits and three Venezuelan errors. Tokyo added two more runs in the fourth to go up 8-0 and then settled the game with two more in the fifth. The Sierra Maestra-Maracaibo squad is the first Venezuelan representative to reach the Little League World Series since Coquivacoa-Maracaibo won the title in 1994. All nine Venezuelan entries at the Little League World Series have been from Maracaibo.
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