Davenport Northwest (Iowa) pitcher Cooper Thissen showed the nation what dominance looks like in Friday’s 1-0 victory at the Little League World Series. He finished with 15 strikeouts and did not allow a hit.
The left-handed pitcher for the Midwest Region champion reached 74 mph in the first inning of the Little League World Series game against the West Region champion. That speed equates to 96 mph from a Major League mound distance.
Thissen threw 10 pitches and struck out all three batters from California in the first inning.
Thissen, also a left-handed batter, then led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run to center field.
In the top of the second inning, Thissen had three more strikeouts.
Little League players are allowed to throw a maximum of 85 pitches in a day. Thissen was at 29 pitches after two innings (LLWS games are six innings).
Thissen added three more strikeouts in the third inning. California has yet to put a ball in play. But Thissen has walked a couple of batters and his pitch count is at 49 through three innings.
California finally put a ball in play in the fourth inning, a groundout to shortstop Xavier Ludtke. Thissen added two more strikeouts to get him to 11 Ks. He was at 61 pitches going into the fifth inning.
Thissen again struck out the side in the fifth inning, giving him 14 for the game. That’s an LLWS record for a Midwest Region pitcher. He was at 74 pitches with one inning to go. Thissen had a no-hitter through five innings as Iowa nursed a 1-0 lead.
In the sixth inning, Thissen walked the leadoff hitter that brought his pitch count to 80. He struck out the second batter (his 15th of the game) on his 83rd pitch, allowing him to face another batter. A wild pitch sent the base runner to second base. He walked the final batter he faced, putting runners at first and third base after a passed ball by the catcher. He finished with 15 strikeouts and no hits allowed in 5 1/3 innings.
Anthony Johnson Jr. then took over on the mound for Iowa. He walked the first batter he faced to load the bases with one out, California’s fifth walk of the day. Johnson Jr. then struck out the next batter to get within an out of a victory. On a 3-ball, 2-strike count, Johnson Jr. nicked the strike zone with a curveball to clinch the 1-0 victory for Iowa.
Davenport Northwest will play at noon CT on Sunday against the Metro Region champion. The game will be shown on ABC.
Thissen will not be allowed to pitch until Wednesday, per Little League rules that require four days of rest for players who throw more than 66 pitches.
The youngster from the Quad Cities was totally unhittable in the Midwest Region tournament, striking out 27 batters out of a possible 29 outs.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Who is Cooper Thissen? Iowa Midwest Little League pitcher is dominant
Reporting by Register staff report / Des Moines Register
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By Register staff report | USA TODAY Network
