Iowa Little League squad beats team accused of tanking, but falls in semis

8:10 P.M. TUESDAY: The Central Iowa Little League all-star softball team saw its chance at a world championship come to an end Tuesday, but not before a wave of support and a little outrage made national headlines. The Polk City-based squad reached the semifinal round of the Little League Softball World Series in Portland, Ore., before falling 5-4 to East regional champion Warwick, R.I., on Tuesday night.

It won't be the loss that's remembered, however. The game etched on the national landscape will be a 3-2 triumph over West champion Snohomish, Wash., in a makeshift tiebreaker game that resulted from a rapid controversy Monday night.

Unbeaten South Snohomish Little League, which had been 3-0, lost to a North Carolina team and was no-hit in the process. Believing Washington lost the game on purpose to keep Iowa from advancing into the bracket portion of the tournament, the Iowans filed a protest.

Little League Softball World Series officials did not overturn the outcome of the controversial game. So the Iowans appealed to the governing body, Little League International, which ruled that a special 11 a.m. game was to take place.

"The Little League International Tournament Committee recently received credible reports that some teams did not play with the effort and spirit appropriate for any Little League game," the organization said in a Tuesday morning press release.

Given the circumstances, the release continues, the governing body was requiring "that a tie-breaker game be played between the two affected teams — South Snohomish Little League and Central Iowa Little League."

In the special contest, Iowa erased a 2-1 deficit by scoring two runs in the top of the third inning on an RBI double and a Washington error to take its deciding advantage. Iowa pitcher Mikayla Houge recorded six strikeouts over the final three innings and 11 on the morning to help seal the victory and eliminate Snohomish.

Washington stranded a pair of runners in both the third and fourth innings, but did not have a hitter reach base in the final two frames.

Tuesday night's semifinal game may have lacked the national buzz of the morning encounter, but there was plenty of drama.

Iowa held a 2-1 lead entering the fourth inning, but Warwick scored four runs in the frame with two outs, the biggest an opposite-field single by Alyssa Richard that gave Rhode Island the lead. Warwick added runs on a wild pitch and an error to take a 5-2 advantage that held until the sixth inning.

Iowa made a desperate comeback attempt, scoring two runs on a pair of swinging bunt singles to draw within 5-4. The Central region champions had two runners on with one out before Rhode Island pitcher Emily Carter coerced consecutive swinging strikeouts to end the game.

Although Iowa will not win the world title, the team is scheduled to play a third-place game at 4 p.m. CST on Wednesday.

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4:20 P.M. TUESDAY: The Central Iowa Little League softball team has advanced to the semifinals of the softball world series in Portland, Ore., following a 3-2 victory Tuesday over the West regional champion from Snohomish, Wash.

The two teams played the game to settle a berth in the tournament's final four after the outcome of a Monday game involving the Washington squad was called into question because of allegations of throwing the game. Later Tuesday, the South Snohomish Little League released a statement about their part in the scandal in an email from the league's president Jeff Taylor:

"The South Snohomish Little League would first like to thank our community and our families that have continued to provide support and encouragement to our young softball girls. They have been through a gauntlet the last 24 hours and have had a very difficult and emotional time.

"First and foremost, we want to restate that our league upholds the standards set forth in the Little League pledge, and we expect our teams, coaches and board members to do so as well.

"For all the volunteers at the South Snohomish Little League, the most troubling aspect of yesterday's event is that it diminished the accomplishments of our fantastic softball team.

"Our coach was faced with a decision that, in the bubble of intense competition, appeared to him to be in the best interest of our team. In hindsight, it is very likely he would have made a different choice. Though the decision that coach (Fred) Miller made did not violate the letter of the rules, I can see abundant evidence that it was not in line with the spirit of the game.

"Once we have an opportunity to examine what transpired, we will be able to learn from these events in Portland. We will make sure that we are doing all that we can to provide our players with the opportunity to compete in a way that honors their commitment to fair play and open competition.

"Finally, we hope that everyone remembers that the decisions that have placed our team under scrutiny were decisions made by the coach. Our young ladies had no role in that. In fact, they have fought their hearts out to be in the World Series and nothing should take away from that accomplishment."

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12:45 P.M. TUESDAY: The Central Iowa Little League softball team has advanced to the semifinals of the softball world series in Portland, Ore., following a 3-2 victory this morning over the West regional champion from Snohomish, Wash.

The two teams played the game to settle a berth in the tournament's final four after the outcome of a Monday game involving the Washington squad was called into question because of allegations of throwing the game (details below).

Iowa erased a one-run deficit by scoring two runs in the top of the third inning on an RBI double and a Washington error to take its deciding advantage. Iowa pitcher Mikayla Houge recorded six strikeouts over the final three innings and 11 on the morning to help seal the victory.

Washington stranded a pair of runners in both the third and fourth innings, but did not have a hitter reach base in the final two frames.

Iowa is believed to be the second-seeded team advancing out of its pool, which would mean its semifinal game is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST on ESPN2 against the East qualifier from Warwick, R.I. The other semifinal is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. A full schedule has not yet been confirmed.

This story will be updated when pairings are finalized by Little League.

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9 A.M. TUESDAY: Little League International issued a Tuesday morning news release after the outcome of a Monday game in the organization's softball world series was questioned.

"The Little League International Tournament Committee recently received credible reports that some teams did not play with the effort and spirit appropriate for any Little League game," the release states.

Given the circumstances, the release continues, the governing body was requiring "that a tie-breaker game be played between the two affected teams – South Snohomish Little League and Central Iowa Little League."

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ORIGINAL STORY: A team of Iowa youth softball players won a Little League World Series game Monday, only to become part of a scandal involving another team.

The Central Iowa squad beat a Canadian team 7-0 to finish with a 3-1 record in pool play at the Little League Softball World Series in Portland, Ore.

But then strange things began happening in the following game. Unbeaten South Snohomish Little League of Snohomish, Wash., which was 3-0, lost to a North Carolina team.

Not just a typical 8-0 loss. A no-hitter by North Carolina that resulted in allegations of cheating.

Chris Chadd, president of Central Iowa Little League, said he believes the Washington team benched starters and ordered every player to bunt in an attempt to lose the game.

"It's clear to everyone that they basically threw the game," Chadd said.

Chadd said Washington's players did not attempt to do anything beyond bunting.

"It's not the girls' fault," Chadd said. "It's the coaches... they should be disqualified."

The outcome left the Iowans in a three-way tie in their bracket with North Carolina and Washington.

After Washington's loss Monday, the Iowans filed a protest, Chadd said.

Little League Softball World Series officials did not overturn the outcome of the controversial game. So the Iowans appealed to the governing body, Little League International.

The ruling was that Iowa and Washington will play at 11 a.m. (Central) on Tuesday. The winner moves on to the semifinals.

"It's a cop-out," Chadd said.

Washington was the only team to beat the Iowans. Chadd said he believed the Washington team was trying to avoid a rematch.

Requests seeking comment were not immediately returned by Little League Softball World Series officials Monday.