Pressure rising on teams as the Junior League World Series continues in Taylor
TAYLOR, MICH (Fox 2) - Taylor North remains undefeated after their second game at Junior League World Series, faces another unbeaten Wednesday as the tournament continues in the city.
Chinese Taipei, California, Aruba join Taylor as unbeaten teams and have advanced in 2026 Junior League World Series play in Taylor.
All games are played on World Series Field. Parking and admission are a $5 per car charge at the gate.
Fans should note that bench grandstand seating is available on both sides of the diamond and in some areas of the outfield. Berm seating is located down both lines and in some areas of the outfield, so blankets and lawn chairs are welcome. Food stands are also available around the diamond at reasonable prices.
Heritage Park (12111 Pardee Road) is located on the corner of Pardee and Northline roads, easily accessible from I-94, Telegraph Road and I-75. There are entrances to the park on Pardee Road just south of Brest and on Northline at Racho Road.
Games on the schedule for today:
- Canada vs. Italy, 10 a.m.
- Tennessee vs. New Jersey, 1 p.m.
- Mexico vs. Australia, 4 p.m.
- Wisconsin vs. New Mexico, 7 p.m.MONDAY, AUG. 10 recap
Game recaps follow for yesterday’s game:
CHINESE TAIPEI VS. MEXICO: The defending champions from the Asia-Pacific Region, who have won the past four straight JLWS titles, got off to a solid start with a 4-0 victory over Mexico on Monday morning. The start of the game was delayed one hour because of the weather.
Batting in the bottom of the first inning, the club from the Shing-Ming LL, Taoyuan, Chinese Taipei, took a 1-0 lead by sending seven men to the plate and forcing Mexico starter Dominic Balderas into throwing 40 pitches. Taipei scored the only run of the frame on a wild pitch.
That score held up until the third inning, when Chinese Taipei scored two more runs for a 3-0 lead. The big swing came from shortstop Yung-Tai Hsu, who drilled
a two-run double to the left-center field gap, scoring Wei-Che Chiu and Tian-En- Ma.
Mexico (1-1) threatened several times but couldn’t come up with a big hit against Chinese Taipei reliever Kuan-Chin Lin, who took the mound in the third inning and went the rest of the way.
Taipei (1-0) finished the scoring in the fifth inning when Hsuan-Hao Liao walked, moved up two bases on wild pitches, and scored on a perfectly executed squeeze bunt by Teng-Hao Wu.
Chinese Taipei, who opened the tournament with a bye in the first round, advances to Game #15 at 4 p.m. Wednesday against Aruba. Mexico falls into the elimination bracket and will play next on Tuesday, August 11 at 4 p.m. against Australia (0-1).
CALIFORNIA VS. TENNESSEE: In one of the more highly contested games of the 2026 JLWS, the La Mirada LL of La Mirada, California, the West Regional champion, advanced on Monday, August 10, with a 5-3 victory over Murfreesboro LL, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Tennessee is the US Southeast Regional Champion.
La Mirada had a first-round bye in the tournament while Tennessee, now 1-1, was opening with a victory over Wisconsin, representing the US Central Region.
Great defense and the pitching of reliever Jerimiah Ortega played key roles in Cali’s victory over Tennessee.
After California took an early 1-0 lead on a Adam Brewer first-inning RBI single, Tennessee rebounded with two runs of their own in the third inning against Cali starter Jayden Valdez for a 2-1 lead. That could have been more, but with two runs in and two runners on base, Cali center fielder Lucas Gaeta made a diving catch and cut the rally off.
In the fourth, Ortega took the mound to replace Valdez and helped himself by starting a 1-6-3 double play that cut off another Tennessee rally. Cali tied the game 2-2 in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly ball by Noel Jaime.
Ortega kept it tied in the top of the sixth with the play of the game. With two Tennessee runners on base and no outs, KJ Taylor tried to sacrifice the runners along but Ortega bolted off the mound and made a diving catch of the attempted bunt, then throwing to first base for a double play. Just as it appeared Tennessee was about to break open the game, Ortega and his Cali teammates shut the door on them and set up a three-run rally in the bottom of the sixth for a 5-2 lead.
Ryder Ong, Ortega and Blake Leal all drove in sixth inning runs for California. Tennessee rallied in the top of the seventh, but Brewer (replacing Ortega on the mound) shut the faucet with two game-ending strikeouts.
California (1-0) advances to Game #16 at 7 p.m. Wednesday, August 12, against the winner of the New Mexico-Taylor game tonight. Tennessee (1-1) drops into the elimination bracket and will play at 1 p.m. Tuesday, August 11 against New Jersey (0-1).
ARUBA VS. ITALY: After Aruba jumped out to a 2-0 early lead on Italy and the Italians rebounded with two runs of their own in the second inning, the teams each turned to their pitching staffs … and watched the zeros accumulate, the innings drift by and the clock keep ticking.
But the bottom of the seventh inning finally rolled around and, more importantly, Zayron Rafine remembered how to lay down a bunt.
After teammates Naivmar Angela, Iceson Ardjosoediro and Aydan Goncalves Rodriques walked around a strikeout by cleanup hitter Jaydrick Boekhoudt, Rafine stepped to the plate and laid down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt and Angela slid home with the winning run in a 3-2 victory for Aruba in the second day of the 2026 Junior League Baseball World Series in Taylor.
Aruba (1-0) drew a first-round bye in the tournament and was playing its first game. It is represented by the Aruba Center LL, of Santa Cruz and is the Latin American Regional winner. Italy (1-1) is represented by the Emilia Romagna LL, of Bologna, Italy.
Pitching and defense shined in this game. Italy sent Diego Guareschi to the mound and he pitched into the fifth inning before giving way to teammate Michelangelo De Santi who went the rest of the game. Both pitchers were backed by excellent defensive plays, with left fielder Andrea Gazza throwing out Aruba’s Arsdjosoediro at the plate in the fourth inning and catcher Leonardo Facchini throwing out a player attempting to steal in the sixth.
Aruba advances to play Chinese Taipei at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, August 12. Italy falls into the elimination bracket and plays Canada at 10 a.m. Tuesday, August 11.
NEW MEXICO VS. TAYLOR: Cortez Loving Jr. a had pair of doubles, two RBI and a walk and starting pitcher Brock Francis hurled 3 2/3 innings of shutout ball as Taylor North (2-0) advanced in the JLWS with a 10-0 mercy-shortened game against Southwest Regional winner New Mexico on Monday, August 10.
Taylor North scored three runs in the third, another run in the fourth and then exploded for six runs in the fifth to end the game early.
Francis and New Mexico starter Harry Brunton were both solid early. New Mexico was on top of its defensive game, with shortstop Tyriano Cordova spearing a line drive to cut off a Taylor rally in the first inning and then second baseman Beckett Beggs making a leaping, tumbling grab of another line drive in the third inning.
But Taylor’s offense was just too ominous. In the third inning, it sent seven batters to the plate to score three runs. In the fifth, Khiry Harris, Jackson Farner and Griffen Adams all had hits; three others had walks; a double steal netted a run and a balk sent across another.
After Francis left the mound, Blake Papler took over and pitched one-hit shutout ball the rest of the way.
Taylor (2-0) advances to play California (1-0) at 7 p.m. Wednesday. New Mexico (0-1) plays at 7 p.m. Tuesday, August 11, against Wisconsin.