Bichette, Florida kept in check

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Dante Bichette Jr. is certainly making a name for himself at the Little League World Series.

Unfortunately for him, Michael Memea and the other West Oahu sluggers are turning in star performances themselves in South Williamsport.

West Oahu of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, jumped out to an early lead thanks in part to Memea's second homer of the series en route to a 10-0 win over Bichette and his Maitland, Fla., teammates.

Both teams have clinched berths into the next round of the 10-day tournament, though West Oahu's imposing lineup of big boppers and aggressive baserunners makes them a favorite in the US bracket.

Also yesterday, Council Rock-Newtown of Newtown, Pa., routed Davenport (Iowa) Northwest, 15-0, behind a four-inning no-hitter by Keith Terry Jr.; Mexico shut out Russia, 7-0; Japan defeated Venezuela, 7-4; and Curacao beat Saudi Arabia, 3-0.

Bichette was one of the few bright spots on the day for Maitland, getting two of the four hits off West Oahu ace Alaka'i Aglipay.

Bichette's father, a coach for Maitland, has experience in the spotlight: Dante Bichette hit 274 home runs during a 14-year major league career, spent mostly with the Colorado Rockies. He played with the Red Sox in 2000-01.

West Oahu (3-0), which has hit eight homers in the tournament.

''When we say it's time for batting practice, they say, 'Oh, let's go!' When it's time for fielding practice, they start moaning," manager Layton Aliviado said.

Memea's third-inning homer gave West Oahu a 5-0 lead.

Newtown 10, Davenport 0 -- Greg Guers homered on the first pitch of the bottom of the first and Blaise Lezynski added a pair of two-run shots, and Newtown (1-2) pounded Davenport (0-3) in a game shortened by the 10-run mercy rule.

Mexico 7, Russia 0 -- Julio Arciniega threw a four-hitter, Nordan Gomez scored twice, and Mexicali (1-1) peppered Moscow (0-2) with 11 hits.

Japan 7, Venezuela 4 -- Yuki Mizuma struck out six batters and belted a home run to lead Chiba City (3-0) past Valencia (0-2), and clinch a spot in the next round.