Michigan-Taylor North punches baseball ticket to Williamsport with 10-0 win over Illinois-Hinsdale

Only six innings of baseball stood between Michigan-Taylor North and the Little League World Series heading into Thursday night.

That was, apparently, too much baseball.

Taylor romped in Whitestown, Indiana, for 10 runs to end the game via mercy rule after just five innings, punching a ticket to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, with a 10-0 win over Illinois-Hinsdale in the Great Lakes regional tournament.

Because of the lack of international teams, this year's Little League World Series will feature two teams from each region, meaning that Taylor will advance no matter what happens in the Great Lakes regional final on Saturday.

Taylor will face the winner of Friday night's matchup between West Side-Ohio and Hinsdale (5 p.m.) on Saturday at 4 p.m. Both games are on ESPN.

Taylor's 10 runs on Thursday came on just eight hits. Cameron Thorning was 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and a walk, Noah Boren had a double and two RBIs, and Jackson Surma added a pair of RBIs in the fifth inning.

Boren's double in the fifth put Taylor up 10-0, ending the game.

The victory gave Michigan its first Little League World Series berth since 2018.  

Nolan Bianchi is a freelance writer.