Thrilling endings to international games on Day 1

On the U.S. side, New York defeated Iowa, 5-2, for its first win in the Little League World Series since the 1964 championship game, while Texas knocked off Rhode Island, 3-1.

Little League's new USA Baseball Bat Standard, which was implemented on Jan. 1, 2018, has already made a noticeable difference. Only one home run was hit Thursday, compared to 10 home runs hit on the first day of the 2017 LLWS. This comes after 87 fewer home runs were hit in this year's U.S. regionals than the year before.

Four more opening-round games take place Friday on ESPN. Just how important is it getting off to a good start in Williamsport? Since the Little League World Series expanded from eight to 16 teams in 2001, no team has gone on to win the championship after losing its first game. The last team to lose its opener and go on to win the title was Sierra Maestra Little League from Venezuela in 2000 (each of the past 17 champions have started 1-0).

Recapping Thursday's games

Texas (Post Oak LL, Houston) 3, Rhode Island (Coventry LL) 1

• Post Oak improved to 15-0 this summer.

• Carter Pitts (Texas) earned the victory, pitching 4 1/3 innings, allowing no earned runs and striking out six. Pitts hasn't allowed an earned run in 10 2/3 innings of work since the start of regionals.

• Justin Michaelis was the leading hitter for Texas, going 3-for-3 with two singles and a double.

• Texas plays New York on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET.

• Rhode Island plays Iowa in an elimination game Saturday at 3 p.m. ET

New York (Mid Island LL, Staten Island) 5, Iowa (Grandview LL, Des Moines) 2

• Mid Island won its first LLWS game since the 1964 championship game.

• Gregory Bruno (New York) pitched 2 2/3 innings in relief, allowing no runs and one hit and striking out seven. Bruno, who pitched a perfect game in the Mid-Atlantic title game, hasn't allowed a run in 13 2/3 innings of work since the start of regionals. He is eligible to pitch Sunday.

• John Calabrese Jr. (New York), the nephew of team manager Joe Calabrese, had a single and scored a run in the fourth inning.

• With Iowa's loss, Midwest teams are now 1-17 in LLWS openers since the region formed in 2001.

Mexico (Matamoros LL) 3, Australia (Gold Coast Baseball Association LL) 2

• Mexico improved to 5-0 against Australia at the LLWS.

• Mexico plays South Korea on Sunday at 9 a.m. ET.

• Australia fell to 1-5 all-time in opening games of the LLWS.

• Oscar Hyde (Australia) belted the first home run of the LLWS, a two-run shot in the first inning.

• Australia plays an elimination game against Puerto Rico on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.

South Korea 4, Puerto Rico 2 (F/9 innings)

• It's the first opening-round game of the Little League World Series to go nine innings since 2006, when Louisiana defeated Missouri.

• It's also the first nine-inning game at the LLWS since 2013, when California beat Connecticut.

• The game lasted 3 hours and 45 minutes, only six minutes shy of being the longest game in LLWS recorded history.

• South Korea improved to 17-4 all-time in the LLWS and 6-0 in openers.

FRIDAY'S GAMES

Spain (Catalunya LL, Barcelona) vs Japan (Kawaguchi LL), 2 p.m. ET on ESPN

• A team from Japan has won five of the past eight Little League World Series titles, including last year when Japan defeated Texas in the championship game.

• Japan is 25-3 all-time in opening games of the LLWS.

• Catalunya is the first team from Spain to make the LLWS since 1986. Keep an eye on Ronald Vizcaino, who is 6-foot-1, 248 pounds.

• European teams have lost 17 straight LLWS openers. The last European team to start 1-0 was Germany in 1993, when it defeated Saipan.

• It's the first meeting between these two countries in the LLWS since 1965; Japan won the first meeting.

Idaho (Coeur d'Alene LL) vs Michigan (Grosse Pointe Woods-Shores LL), 4 p.m. ET on ESPN

• Michigan is making its 12th LLWS appearance. It's the third by Grosse Pointe Woods-Shores LL. In previous appearance, Grosse Pointe Woods-Shores went 0-3 in 2013 and 1-2 in 2017.

• Michigan has lost four straight LLWS openers and hasn't started 1-0 at Williamsport since 1982.

• An Idaho team is making its second LLWS appearance and the first since 1999, when Idaho went 1-2.

• The winner plays Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on ABC against the winner of the Georgia/Hawaii game

Panama (Vacamonte LL, Arraijan) vs Canada (Whalley LL, Surrey, B.C.), 6 ET on ESPN

• Panama is making its 10th appearance in the LLWS and its first since 2016. No team from Panama has ever won a LLWS championship.

• Teams from Panama have a 5-1 record against teams from Canada in LLWS history.

• Whalley LL is making its sixth LLWS appearance and its first since 2006.

• Canada has won its tournament opener in each of its past two LLWS appearances (2016, 2017).

• Canada hasn't posted a winning record at the LLWS since 1998.

Georgia (Peachtree City American LL) vs Hawaii (Honolulu LL), 8 p.m. ET on ESPN

• The state of Georgia is making its seventh appearance in the Little League World Series, winning three titles in its six previous appearances.

• The state of Hawaii has made it all the way to the LLWS title game in each of its last three trips to Williamsport, winning it all in 2005 and 2008, and losing in the championship game to Japan in its last appearance in 2010.

• This is the first team from Honolulu to make the LLWS since 1960.

Justin Page of the ESPN Stats and Information group contributed to this report.