Kinley Rasmus and Alabama’s Southeast Region team were eliminated from the 2026 Little League World Series on Wednesday, August 26, after an 11-2 loss to Ohio at Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Both teams were 3-1 entering play and competing to remain in the tournament, but the game concluded a historic tournament run that saw Rasmus set multiple records for female players.
It was the farewell to the bow, marking the end of an extraordinary summer run for the Phenix City Youth Baseball LL standout at the 2026 Little League World Series. Facing the Great Lakes champion West Side LL from Hamilton, Ohio, the Southeast Region team from Phenix City, Alabama, ran into an aggressive opponent that wasted no time seizing control of the elimination matchup.
Ohio Capitalizes on Early Inning Momentum
The Great Lakes team leaped ahead early and scored four runs in the first inning. Alabama pulled pitcher Easton Allen after he walked four batters in the first frame. Bryson Williams and Jack McAdams got the bats going for the Great Lakes champion, with Williams having three hits on the day for Ohio.
Ohio was relentless at the plate and finished with 12 hits and eight walks. While Bryson Williams notched three hits, Jack McAdams, Bob Frazier and Finn Dykes each tallied multiple RBI. It wasn’t just offense, as Williams and Josiah Infante combined to strike out six while allowing just two runs on the mound. Ohio added three more runs in the third and never looked back, later pushing across four runs of insurance in the last inning to remove any doubt regarding the outcome. Ohio is not leaving anything to chance, as the Great Lakes team scored four runs in the top of the sixth inning by loading the bases with no outs via two walks and a single, and Walker Osborne scored when the Alabama catcher dropped a pitch to make the game 8-2 before Alabama swapped pitchers and put Brooks Cameron on the mound.
The Rest Policy That Shaped the Elimination Matchup
A critical factor in the contest was player availability. Rasmus was not eligible to pitch in Wednesday’s game after she threw 54 pitches in Monday’s victory over Pennsylvania, specifically throwing 54 pitches in 4 2/3 innings in Alabama’s win on Monday, Aug. 24. With that amount of pitches, she was required three days rest before she could return to the mound, meaning she is unable to pitch again until Saturday. And Ohio took advantage of her lack of availability to pitch.
Without their star two-way player available on the mound, Alabama faced an uphill battle against an unrelenting Ohio lineup. Tournament standout Kinley Rasmus drew a walk and then grounded into a fielder’s choice in her two at-bats for the Southeast Region champions, reaching base in one of her at-bats via a walk while her team came up short.
Record-Breaking History in Williamsport
Despite Wednesday’s exit, Rasmus leaves Pennsylvania having rewritten the tournament record books. Kinley Rasmus is one of two girls competing in the 2026 Little League World Series. On Tuesday, August 25, she set the record for the most hits in a single tournament by a female player, totaling five hits. Earlier in the week, she tied Mo’ne Davis’ record for the most strikeouts by a female player, matching the mark of 14 strikeouts in a tournament by a female pitcher.
That dominance began before stepping foot into Williamsport, where Rasmus pitched a complete game shutout to lead her team to its first LLWS appearance in 27 years. Her earlier tournament performances included Game 1 against Washington featuring 6 innings pitched, zero hits, zero runs, 2 walks, and 8 strikeouts while going 1 walk at bat; Game 2 against California going 2-for-2 with 1 walk and an RBI double; Game 3 against Pennsylvania going 1-for-3 with an RBI single at bat and 6 strikeouts pitching; and Game 4 against Washington going 2-for-3 with 1 run and 1 RBI to break the all-time hits record.
Coaching Lineage and Family Roots
Baseball runs deep in the Rasmus family. Rasmus earned her pitching talent from her father, Cory, who pitched for the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels between 2013 and 2016. Cory’s brother, Colby, also played MLB for 10 years as an outfielder. Their dad, Tony, is a former Angels draft pick and spent a couple of seasons in the minor leagues himself. Rasmus and her Alabama baseball team are coached by none other than Colby and Cory Rasmus. The last time that Phenix City made it to the LLWS, the brothers led their team to the 1999 Little League World Series championship alongside their coach and dad, Tony. Kinley’s mother, Jill, was also a standout athlete, playing collegiate softball at Southern Mississippi and Gulf Coast Community College. Colby’s son and Kinley’s cousin, Ryker, is also on the team.
