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OAKLAND PARK, Fla (Gambling911.com) - California is a big -425 favorite while Alabama pays close to $300 for every $100 bet with a win in Saturday's 7 pm ET Little League World Series game.
Phenix City, Alabama lost its opener 2-0 to Tacoma, Washington, and that game required seven innings before Washington finally scored.
All eyes will be on Kinley Rasmus for this one. She was outstanding throughout the Southeast Regional: 6-for-8 at the plate with two RBIs and four walks, while throwing nine scoreless innings. In the regional championship against Tennessee, she pitched a complete-game shutout.
She then started Alabama's LLWS opener against Washington and was terrific despite the 2-0 extra-inning loss: Rasmus struck out eight, tying Mo'ne Davis' record for strikeouts by a girl in an LLWS game, while allowing only one hit.
California entered Williamsport 3-0 in West Region play. But Sweetwater Valley ran into an excellent Iowa pitching performance Friday and lost: Iowa 1, California 0.
Noah Kirk, meanwhile, is one of Sweetwater Valley's leading two-way players and a strong pitching option.
Betting on this year's Little League World Series is not without its controversy.
The Little League World Series issued the following statement to Gambling911.com:
"Little League International stands by its statement first issued last year that there is no place for betting on Little League games and players or any youth sports competition. Little League is a trusted place where children are learning the fundamentals of the games and all the important life lessons that come with having fun, celebrating teamwork, and playing with integrity, and no one should be exploiting the success and failures of children playing the game they love for their own personal gain."
"We're not here to say whether gambling on 10-, 11- and 12-year-olds is right or wrong, that's up for you to decide (and possibly write about), we're just delivering the information," BetOnline Brand Manager Dave Mason tells Gambling911.com.
Little League World Series Futures Odds to Win
U.S. Bracket Champion
California 1/1
Texas 6/1
New Jersey 6/1
Alabama 8/1
Iowa 12/1
Massachusetts 12/1
Ohio 12/1
Washington 12/1
Nevada 14/1
Pennsylvania 18/1
International Bracket Champion
South Korea 1/2
Dominican Republic 4/1
Japan
Mexico 8/1
Nicaragua 10/1
Curacao 16/1
Panama 25/1
Canada 33/1
Czechia
Australia
- Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com
