Martina K's 12, Curaçao makes LLBWS title game
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- Jaymiëll Martina struck out 12 batters over 5⅔ scoreless innings and added an RBI double as Curaçao defeated Japan 4-0 in Saturday's LLBWS international finale at Lamade Stadium.
- Martina exited with two outs in the sixth inning after throwing 86 pitches — the Little League maximum — to a standing ovation that included Japanese fans along the third-base line.
- Curaçao broke through in the bottom of the third, building a 3-0 lead on a barrage of bunts paired with four Japanese throwing errors, then added a fourth run when Martina's double plated Giendry Ryan.
- Giendry Ryan recorded the final out; he and Martina had previously combined to no-hit Japan in a second-round game of the double-elimination tournament.
- Curaçao advances to face the winner of Nevada vs. Ohio in the U.S. finale, marking the third time in five years a team from Willemstad will play a U.S. squad for Little League supremacy.
- Japan loaded the bases with one out in the first inning while seeking to avenge a 6-0 loss to Curaçao, but Martina struck out the next two batters to escape, and Japan never seriously threatened again.
- Curaçao has outscored opponents 23-3 across four games in Williamsport, with manager Railison Gijsbertha citing the team's bunting discipline as the difference once Japan failed to convert bunts into outs.
Why it matters: Curaçao reaches the LLBWS title game for the sixth time in its history and the third time in five years, but Martina's 86-pitch exit means the bullpen — led by closer Giendry Ryan — must finish Sunday against whichever U.S. champion survives Nevada-Ohio. Curaçao's 23-3 run differential in Williamsport underscores a dominant tournament, even as Japanese manager Masanori Takeda credited Martina's fastball-curveball-slider mix as the decisive edge.
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