The 29th annual Junior League World Series is down to the final four.

Teams of 13- and 14-year-old baseball players from Puerto Rico and Aruba will play for the International championship at 5 p.m. Friday, August 21 at Taylor’s Heritage Park.

Teams from Arizona and Indiana will follow at 8 p.m., with the winner earning the title USA champion.

Friday’s two winners will play for the world championship at 5 p.m.

The Junior League World Series is the big brother of the Little League World Series for 12-year-olds in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Once players turn 13 and 14, they compete in the Junior League, whose World Series has been held in Taylor since its inception in 1981.

The four remaining teams will attempt to become the 29th world champion and have its sign placed with the others along the Avenue of Champions in Heritage Park.

The title game will be played before a live ESPNU audience. The game will then be replayed on ESPN2 at 11 p.m. Thursday, August 27.

“We’ve had a great week of baseball,” said World Series Director Greg Bzura. “We’ve seen a number of high-scoring games and a number of very close games. All 10 teams started the week as champions, but there can be only one world champion.”

The International Pool championship game will be a rematch of Wednesday night’s stellar game between Yabucoa, the national champion of Puerto Rico, and Oranjestad, Aruba, the Latin America champions. That night, Puerto Rico won, 6-4. It was Aruba’s only loss of the tournament and helped make Puerto Rico the only unbeaten international team.

Meanwhile, in the USA Pool, the all-stars from Scottsdale, Arizona, are on a run that’s rarely seen in sports: a 22-game winning streak since post-season play began over a month ago. Four of those victories have come in the World Series against other regional champions, making the team from the Mountain View Little League the only undefeated team (4-0) in the USA Pool.

Team Arizona’s opponent is the Central Regional champion from Middlebury, Indiana, one of three teams that finished 2-2 in the pool, but 1) won a tie-breaker based on the least defensive runs allowed and 2) has played Scottsdale as well as any team, falling 4-0 on Monday.

Heritage Park is located at 12111 Pardee Road between Goddard and Northline. Tickets are just $5 per carload per day.

Friday’s Schedule

5 p.m. International Championship Game: Yabucoa, Puerto Rico vs. Oranjestad, Aruba
8 p.m. USA Championship Game: Scottsdale, Arizona vs. Middlebury, Indiana.

Saturday’s Schedule

Noon Home Run Derby
5 p.m. Junior League World Series Championship Game

Final Pool Standings

USA Pool
Scottsdale, Arizona (West Regional Champion) 4-0
Middlebury, Indiana (Central Regional Champion) 2-2
Jackson, New Jersey (East Regional Champion) 2-2
Albuquerque, New Mexico (Southwest Regional Champion) 2-2
Easley, South Carolina (Southeast Regional Champion) 0-4
 
International Pool
Yabucoa, Puerto Rico (National Champion) 4-0
Oranjestad, Aruba (Latin America Champion) 3-1
Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands (Asia-Pacific Champion) 2-2
Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy (Europe/Middle East/Africa Champion) 1-3
Coquitlam, British Columbia (Canadian National Champion) 0-4

Thursday’s Results

Oranjestad, Aruba 23, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy 1
Yabucoa, Puerto Rico 11, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands 1
Scottsdale, Arizona 10, Jackson, New Jersey 8
Middlebury, Indiana 9, Easley, South Carolina 4