Game 10
Southeast 4 vs. West 1

Sunday, August 20, 2006
1:00PM ET

By Mark Rogoff
Special Correspondent

Columbus (Ga.) Northern Little League Kyle Carter is quite the pitcher, and may be the best hurler at the 60th Little League Baseball World Series after tossing a complete-game, one-hitter in a 4-1 win over Arizona in front of 14,695 Little League supporters.

He tossed 13 shutout innings over three appearances in the Southeast Regional tournament, and Saturday tossed one inning of shutout relief against Mid-Island Little League of Staten Island, N.Y., in his World Series debut.

Sunday at Howard J. Lamade Stadium Carter made his first start, taking the mound against Arizona in Pool A play in hopes of helping his Georgia mates and extend that scoreless innings streak.

“Absolutely, without a doubt, that’s the best we’ve seen,” said Arizona manager Tom Kingery.

Carter, who last gave up a run during the Georgia State Tournament in Augusta, struck out nine, walked two and threw three wild pitches, two of which led to that lone Arizona run.

Carter’s game plan going in Sunday was simple: “Throw strikes and keep it low and away from the good hitters.”

He did just that. Shaun Chase’s lead-off single to right in the fourth was the only hit allowed by the 5-foot-9, 137-pounder.

Carter helped his own cause with a solo homer in the third that broke open a scoreless game. He belted a 2-2 hanging breaking ball from Chase Knox halfway up the hill in right-centerfield.

Arizona did come right back to tie it at 1-1 in the bottom half of the third. Justin Hyden reached on a fielding error to lead off the inning. He advanced to second on a wild pitch, and to third on a Max Harden groundout. Hyden then scored on a Carter wild pitch.

J.T. Phillips’s solo homer in top half of the fourth made it 2-1 and proved to be the difference.

“I just knew he was coming with a fastball,” said Phillips. “I was ready for it, and I hit it.”

Carter had to work out of trouble in the bottom of the fourth following the Chase’s hit and a one-out walk to Sam Kingery. After Chase advanced to third on an errant pick-off attempt at second base, Carter got pinch hitters David Hulls to strikeout and Connor Kelly to pop out on a bunt attempt.

Patrick Stallings and Brady Hamilton both had RBI singles in the sixth to make it a 4-1 game.

Georgia improved to 2-0 with the win and put itself in the driver’s seat to get out of pool play.

“I feel a whole lot better than if we were 0-2,” said Georgia manager Randy Morris, whose team is now 17-0 this tournament season