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"&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\n\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Starting pitcher Brock Myers struck out eight and homered, and Goodlettsville, Tenn., beat Kearney, Neb., 12-1 on Thursday to spoil the debut of a Nebraska team at the Little League World Series.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;   Myers, a 12-year-old righty, kept the Midwest's mini-mashers at bay with a fastball and off-speed pitch. He allowed one hit over 4 1-3 innings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;   Myers added a two-run blast in the fifth, and Ryan Lyle also homered before Tennessee added seven runs in the sixth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;   Zane Schmidt had a hit and RBI for Nebraska, which will play Saturday against Connecticut.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;   No matter what happens, Kearney's kids have become stars back home. The coaches and players are getting well-wishes from all over their state at a time when fans are eagerly awaiting the start of Cornhuskers football.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia 6, Connecticut 4\n\t\t\t\t\t\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; California starting pitcher Bradley Smith made an impression, striking out seven and going 4 for 4 at the plate with a homer and three RBIs to help Petaluma, Calif., hold off Fairfield, Conn., 6-4.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;   The 13-year-old Smith strikes an imposing pose with his 6-foot-3 frame. But he had some early jitters on the mound after giving up a first-inning home run to Biagio Paoletta.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;   \"You can't be nervous in these games. You're one of the top 16 teams ... in the world,\" Smith said calmly. \"So I was thinking, `What do I have to be nervous about?\"'&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;   He felt much better in the third after hitting a 2-0 curveball deep to left-center that just eluded outfielder Matt Clarkin's glove and just cleared the fence 225 feet away for a two-run homer and 3-1 lead. Smith also struck out seven over four innings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;   But California couldn't shake Connecticut. Will Lucas tripled home a run before scoring on a passed ball to get Connecticut within a run in the bottom of the fifth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;   Connecticut threatened again in the sixth, but reliever Andrew White got a double play and strikeout to end the game. The 12-year-old lefty pumped his fist after he left the mound to be greeted by giddy teammates.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJapan 7, Curacao 0\n\t\t\t\t\t\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;   Kotaro Kiyomiya and Noriatsu Osaka combined for a two-hitter for Tokyo in the opening game of the Little League World Series. Kiyomiya didn't allow a hit and struck out seven in 2 2-3 innings. Osaka finished on the mound in relief with seven strikeouts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;   A team from Japan has won the World Series international title the last two seasons. This year's Japan region champs, from Tokyo, took control early with three runs in each of the first two innings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;   Not bad for a Japan team that hadn't played since July 7.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;   \"I didn't have my best control The ball wasn't going exactly where I wanted it, but it got better the longer I pitched,\" the 12-year-old Osaka said through interpreter Yuichi Ishibashi.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;   Christopher Koeiman and Mychellon Jansen each had singles for Curacao, which made its first tournament appearance since 2009.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTaiwan 14, Germany 1 (4 Innings)\n\t\t\t\t\t\t&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;   Li-Wei Chiang homered and drove in four runs, and Feng Chen went 3 for 3 with three RBIs for the team from Taoyuan. Kyle Glenn had Germany's only hit, while Justin Wilson scored the team's only run in the game that ended early because of Little League's 10-run rule.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;   It hardly mattered to Wilson's father, Marquis, who arrived in South Williamsport on Wednesday - just in time to see his 12-year-old son play for the first time in two months. The elder Wilson, who serves in the military as a security forces trainer in Afghanistan, is on a 15-day leave.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;   Marquis Wilson said it was a little nerve-wracking watch Justin from the stands.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;   \"It was hard, but he did his best and that's all you can ask for,\" the proud father said.&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.si.com/more-sports/2012/08/16/llws-tennessee-nebraska>