Little League / Woodinville West -- Tuiasosopo Takes Team To Title Game

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - There have been several dominant players over the years at the Little League Western Regional tournament.

Last night, Matt Tuiasosopo added his name to the list.

The 5-foot-10 Tuiasosopo struck out 16 of a possible 18 batters as Woodinville West moved into the championship game with a 5-0 victory over Tassajara Valley of Danville, Calif., in front of about 1,500 fans at Al Houghton Stadium.

The victory puts Woodinville West in tonight's championship against Southern California champ Cypress Federal. The game, at 7 p.m., will be broadcast live on ESPN2. The winner goes to the Little League World Series at Williamsport, Pa.

The result was a reversal from Tuesday, when Tassajara Valley beat Woodinville 9-2 to force a winner-take-all rematch.

That was bound to happen with Tuiasosopo pitching.

"Who wouldn't be different?" Woodinville Manager Mike Lentz said. "He was very dominant, and against a very good hitting team."

"You'd have to be," Tassajara Valley Manager J.C. Carter said. "All you'd do is stand there and watch."

Tassajara Valley had won five consecutive games since a first-round loss and had double-digit hits in four of the past five games.

Tuiasosopo allowed two hits and walked none. In 21 innings at the regional, he has allowed six hits and struck out 47. Under Little League rules, Tuiasosopo cannot pitch tonight.

But Lentz said there was no hesitation about putting the star on the mound yesterday.

"You have to put your best foot forward and give them a shot (tonight)," he said.

There was no discussion of taking Tuiasosopo out after the first inning when Woodinville West took a 2-0 lead. Had Tuiasosopo pitched only one inning, he would have been eligible to pitch tonight.

"No way," Lentz said. "Not against that team."

Instead, Tuiasosopo went the distance, making Woodinville West the first Washington team since Marysville in 1986 to reach the regional final.

The last Washington team to go to Williamsport was the Cody Webster-led Kirkland National team that won the world championship in 1982.

"I hope it's a little omen because I'm from Kirkland," Lentz said. "And I remember that team and the excitement it generated.

"And we've been getting a lot of support from the Seattle area."

A Southern California team has won the regional title six consecutive years and eight of the past nine. Cypress had yesterday off after eliminating Beaverton, Ore., Tuesday night. And a pro-Cypress crowd of about 10,000 is expected for the game.

"All the pressure is on them," Lentz said. "We're excited. Hopefully, the kids can play the game between the lines. But they're 12 years old. Who knows what's going to happen?"

Said Carter: "Sure they can win. Anything can happen. They're both very strong teams. From what I've seen, I'd give the hitting edge to Cypress and the defensive edge to Woodinville. It will come down to pitching."