Hawaii routs Mexico for Little League championship

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Hawaii's coaches lay sprawled on the field as their happy players trotted around showing off their new championship banner.

Winning the Little League World Series can be exhausting.

Tanner Tokunaga hit two homers, Iolana Akau added a solo blast and Waipahu, Hawaii, took advantage of several miscues by Matamoros, Mexico, in 12-3 victory Sunday that sealed the fourth consecutive Little League title for the United States.

"I know I'm tired," manager Timo Donahue said. "I'll probably catch up on a lot of sleep the next few days."

His pint-sized players wore out Mexico, too. It was just the second time in series history that a team scored in each inning in the title game, with the 1974 team from Taiwan the only other squad to accomplish the feat.

Two Hawaii runs Sunday scored on passed balls, and another run came home on a bases-loaded walk. Mexico committed three errors.

Still, Mexico's lineup is loaded with dangerous hitters, so the lead wasn't safe until reliever Christian Donahue, the manager's son, induced Fernando Villegas to ground out to Tokunaga at shortstop.

Then the celebration started.

Hawaii's 12-3 victory is worth a celebration on the mound. (US Presswire)

A team from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, started the U.S. winning streak in 2005, with Little Leaguers from Georgia taking the prize the previous two years.

"It felt really good to be the world champions, especially since I made the last out," the 12-year-old Tokunaga said, a pink lei hanging around his neck.

Eduardo Rodriguez's two-run single off starter Caleb Duhay in the third closed a four-run gap to 5-3 for Mexico before Hawaii broke out for seven runs over the next two innings.

Duhay struck out seven in 5 1/3 innings for the win.