Game 21
Asia 17 vs. Transatlantic 0
Tuesday, August 19, 2003
1:00PM ET

Thank heaven for 7, and 17
Japan’s 7-run first enough in rout of Saudi Arabia

By Mark Rogoff
Special Correspondent

Japan didn’t need any luck Tuesday afternoon in its final pool game against Saudi Arabia.

Though the Asia Regional champs scored a lucky 7 in the first inning of their 17-0 win over Saudi Arabia, they kept any luck they might have needed in their shirt pockets, stored away for possible future use.

Japan followed its big first inning with 4 runs in the 2nd, 3 in the 3rd, and 3 more in the 4th, all the result of 17 hits, including 5 home runs.

“It was great to get so many runs,” said Japan head coach Masumi Ohmae through interpreter Bill Lundy. “They’ve been a good hitting team all year long.”

Shigeki Umeda and Hirofumi Yamazaki each hit 2 home runs for the Tokyo tots. Toshiki Maebashi hit the other.

“I didn’t think I was capable of (hitting 2 home runs),” Umeda said through the interpreter. “It wasn’t in my expectations.”

Responded Yamazaki: “I thought I was capable.”

Despite the offensive outbreak, Japan didn’t even come close to the World Series record for most runs scored in a game. An All-Star team from the Dominican Republic in 1992 scored 29 runs to beat a club from Quebec, Canada.

Four different pitchers combined for the 4-inning no-hitter. Umeda tossed the first, Masato Komuro the 2nd, Ippei Endoh the 3rd, and Yuutaro Tanaka the 4th.

Little League game officials gave the win to Momuro.

“I long ago decided that if we went up a lot of runs, we would rotate the pitchers so they would all be available for the next game,” Ohmae said.

The Saudi Little Leaguers put the ball in play, striking out just 4 times in their combined 12 at-bats. They just couldn’t find the holes.

“It’s hard to say what you did wrong,” said Transatlantic skipper Phillip Warren. “We knew they were going be a tough team. It looked like it was batting practice for them.

“Where’s the rain when you need it?”

With the win, Asia clinches first place in Pool D, and will take on Mexico in Wednesday night’s International semi-final.

Transatlantic - Arabian American (Home) vs. Asia - Musashi Fuchu (Visitor)
Aug 19 2003 1:09 PM To 2:37 PM Volunteer Stadium, So. Williamsport, Pa.

Game Scoring By Inning:

1
2
3
4
R
H
E
Asia - Musashi Fuchu
7
4
3
3
17
17
1
Transatlantic - Arabian American
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
 

Home Team Box Score:

Transatlantic - Arabian American
POS
AB
R
H
RBI
AP
As
PO
E
Timoney, Thomas
ss
2
0
0
0
2
4
0
0
Bukhari, Shaan
cf-p
2
0
0
0
2
1
0
0
Aberle, Lee
1b
2
0
0
0
2
0
8
0
Reimer, Joel
rf
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
King, Trevor
p-ph
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
Warren, John
3b
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
Minchau, Nicholas
lf
1
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
Hankamer, Colt
c
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
Lumpa, Mark
2b
1
0
0
0
1
1
2
0
Martinez, Andre
cf
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
Vimont, Logan
3b
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
Al-Shafei, Zachary
2b
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Totals
12
0
0
0
12
7
12
1
 

Visiting Team Box Score:

Asia - Musashi Fuchu
POS
AB
R
H
RBI
AP
As
PO
E
Nakahara, Hokuto
rf
3
2
2
0
3
0
0
0
Ohmae, Takeru
2b
3
2
2
0
3
1
0
0
Tanaka, Yuutaro
3b-p
4
3
3
3
4
2
0
0
Umeda, Shigeki
p-1b
3
3
3
4
4
0
4
0
Onozawa, Jun
c
3
2
1
0
4
0
5
0
Yamazaki, Hirofumi
cf-3b
3
2
3
6
3
0
0
0
Komuro, Masato
1b-p
2
0
0
0
2
0
3
0
Maebashi, Toshiki
lf
2
1
1
1
2
0
0
0
Sakamoto, Kazumasa
ss
2
1
1
0
3
1
0
0
Tsukuda, Kohki
lf
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
Endoh, Ippei
ph-p-cf
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
Kiyoshima, Junpei
rf
1
1
1
0
1
0
0
1
Motojima, Kento
2b
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Ono, Eito
ph
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
Totals
29
17
17
14
32
4
12
1
 

Winning Pitcher: Komuro, Masato Losing Pitcher: King, Trevor

IP
R
ER
ERA
H
K
BB
HP
TP
KP
BP
Transatlantic - Arabian American
King, Trevor
.0
5
5
N/A
3
0
2
0
19
6
13
Bukhari, Shaan
4.0
12
11
16.50
14
0
1
0
98
56
42
Asia - Musashi Fuchu
Umeda, Shigeki
1.0
0
0
0.00
0
0
0
0
7
7
0
Komuro, Masato
1.0
0
0
0.00
0
1
0
0
11
8
3
Endoh, Ippei
1.0
0
0
0.00
0
2
0
0
15
8
7
Tanaka, Yuutaro
1.0
0
0
0.00
0
1
0
0
15
11
4

ERA computed assuming 6 innings per game

Boxscore produced by Score-It: www.scoreit.com

© 2003 Little League Baseball Incorporated