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SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. >> When Alan Bowden, manager of the Virginia Little League team, scored with remaining time to play, Sunday, it did not matter if his team was away from an eleven 0 victory and his second consecutive non-hitter to start the Little League world series.
The non-hitter was not at all in his mind – but the number of throws his choke was.
Little League has strict rules on the number of throws that a player can perform before taking a day off, ranging from zero for 20 pitches to four days off for 85 pitches, at which point the player must leave the mound. The rule was put in place in 2010 and added a dimension to the annual tournament at South Williamsport, giving managers another element of the game to settle.
Managers must decide, often before the start of the game, how many shots they want their runners to throw. The Virginia team is aware of the many risks involved. If a pitcher is at his maximum, that player needs four days off before throwing again. By that time, the team could have been eliminated from the tournament.
Bowden and his club have been burned in the past by the lack of pitchers, but at LLWS, a meticulous approach to managing their pitching staff and their throwing numbers has for Loudoun South Little League of South Riding, Virginia, in an enviable position.
"Over the past two years, with this core of players, we've been through the state's losers circle last year and we had to win seven games in eight days," said Bowden, whose team represents the region. Southeast. "This year, we had to win six games in just 10 days, coming out of the losers group to win just to get out of our district. We managed very well to manage our throw, and our pitch counts. "
Virginia is only one victory in the US championship game before its match against Hawaii on Wednesday. The club has each of its throwers – and it has not yet allowed to attack through two games and 11 innings.
"We have a line order with the pitchers of our team," said Bowden, who did not move in pitch Sunday late in the game, after checking the number of throws.
"But we have six or seven kids on our team who can win us a big game. So we are very deep on the mound. Obviously, our best pitchers are at the top of this hierarchy and we want to keep them available for big games. "
So far, it has worked that way for Virginia. But things can go wrong quickly.
When Bowden pulled out Justin Lee after throwing 35 shots in the first game of the tournament team, the match was scoreless. If Virginia had lost that match, Justin would not have been available for the loser's match the next day.
"I know the call was questionable, pulling Justin the other day at 35, to put Liam in because he was rocking well," Bowden said. "I'm sure I'm getting pretty second on social media about it."
It turned out that Justin was ready to face Minnesota and played a full match in Virginia's 11-0 win.
Virginia is not the only team to be very aware of the number of pitches and has different game plans depending on how a match is played.
Japan eliminated starter Ritsu Nishikawa after three innings and 33 shots in his first win against Italy.
Hawaii manager Brad Lung said after his team's victory on Friday that his team and coaches were constantly talking about the number of throws in the dugout during games.
In that win against Louisiana on Friday, starting pitcher Jaren Pascual kicked off the six innings and came in at a pace of 85. If Hawaii lost on Sunday, Jaren would not have been available for what would have been a match eliminatory the next day.
But Jaren will be in position Wednesday to face Virginia, as will the two throwers who faced New Jersey on Sunday – and in the completion of the match Monday due to a storm – Logan Kuloloia and Isaac Imamura .
"We have a plan we are going to launch, how much land they will be doing there," Lung said. "It's constantly in our minds. We analyze the situation and see who can go there at any moment. "
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