Kasowski, Grissom hit but ORWALL National falls

Marshall Kasowski and Gavin Grissom each collected two hits but the Oak Ridge/Woodlands Area Little League (ORWALL) National All-Stars could not hold a 2-0 lead and fell 8-4 to Central in its final Big League World Series game Monday.

ORWALL National closes World Series play winless in four games. They are the only ORWALL team to ever advance to the World Series.

Grissom delivered a two-run single, scoring Branden Navarro and Mario Garza in the first inning of Monday's game, giving ORWALL National a 2-0 lead.

But Central answered with a five-run second inning to take the lead for good.

ORWALL National got a run back in the bottom of the second when Colyn Gallagher opened with a walk, stole second, advanced to third on a Navarro single, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Garza.

Both teams added a run in the fifth inning. ORWALL National tallied its run when Barrett Francis reached on an error scoring courtesy runner Ethan Francis.

Central extended a 6-4 lead with single markers in the sixth and seventh innings.

Chris Grupp and Justin Cassio rounded out the ORWALL National hit total with one apiece.

Cassio hit .625 (5-8) over four World Series games and led the team with five hits. Navarro hit .400 (4-10) and both Grissom and Kasowski finished with identical .333 (4-12) batting averages. Each added a homer.

The World Series semifinals are on Tuesday with the championship game set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 31, nationally televised by ESPN2.

Teams from Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Puerto Rico, Canada and the United States are competing for the title of Big League Baseball World Champions. It’s the 13th consecutive year for Easley to host the most talented 16-18-year-old players from around the globe.