SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Jae Yeong Hwang drove in two runs and Hae Chan Choi weathered a late Chicago rally to lead South Korea to an 8-4 win in Sunday’s Little League World Series championship game.
Hwang gave up one hit in two-plus innings while striking out four. He also drove in the Asia-Pacific Region champs’ first two runs as they built an 8-1 lead before Jackie Robinson West made it close.
Choi, who had a homer and scored twice, pitched the last four innings for South Korea, which won its third title after back-to-back championships in 1985 and ‘86.
International teams have won the last three and four of the last five titles.
Dong Wan Sin scored twice, including a solo homer, for the South Koreans.
Chicago, the Great Lakes Region champions, came back from 3-0 and 5-4 deficits to beat favored West champ Las Vegas Mountain Ridge 7-5 in the US title game on Saturday. But Chicago couldn’t come back against the powerful South Koreans, who asserted themselves early while Hwang set down the first six US hitters, four on strikeouts.
D.J. Butler broke up Hwang’s no-hitter with a spinning cue shot to short that he beat out leading off the third. Trey Hondras’ high hopper to second off Choi with the bases loaded and one out scored Butler, but the rally died when Marquis Jackson bounced sharply to third on the next pitch.
After a terrific diving catch by Dong Wan Sin on Jackson’s hard shot, Darion Radcliff came through with a two-run single and Joshua Houston — the pitching and hitting hero of the US final win a day earlier — also had a single to bring the Chicago fans to their feet.
A passed ball scored Radcliff to make it 8-4, with Houston moving to second, but Choi got Green on a foul-tip third strike and Ed Howard on the force out.