Southeast Beats Northwest 4-2 as Kinley Rasmus Extends Girls' LLWS Hits Record

Q: With deep MLB roots and a tied strikeout record, will Kinley Rasmus pursue baseball or softball as her athletic career advances?

It is too early to know, and there is no public indication that Kinley Rasmus has chosen between baseball and softball. What is clear is that she has strong pathways in both sports. On the baseball side, her résumé already stands out: she is a two-way Little League World Series performer, has tied Mo’ne Davis’ tournament strikeout mark for a girl with 14, matched the single-game strikeout record with eight, and comes from a family deeply rooted in baseball. Her father, Cory Rasmus, and uncle Colby Rasmus both reached the majors, and her maternal uncle Jeff Mathis played 17 big-league seasons. Kinley has also said she grew up wanting to reach Williamsport like her father and uncle did, which points to a genuine attachment to baseball. At the same time, softball is a realistic long-term track. Her mother, Jill Rasmus, played softball at Southern Miss, and Little League’s own profile says Kinley also plays softball in addition to baseball and competitive flag football. For many elite female athletes, softball remains the more established college and professional route in the United States, especially once baseball opportunities narrow in the teenage years. So the best answer is that Kinley appears positioned to keep both options open for now. Her current success suggests she has the talent to continue in baseball as long as opportunities are available, while softball could become the more practical long-term avenue if she chooses the clearest development path.

3 articles · Updated · Bleacher Report · Aug 25

Kinley Rasmus went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run as Phenix City, Alabama, representing the Southeast, stayed alive with a 4-2 elimination win over Northwest.
Her second hit of the night added to the girls' Little League World Series hits record she had already broken earlier in the tournament, even though she did not pitch Tuesday.
Southeast built the game early, scoring in the first and adding two more in the third on Rasmus' RBI single and Cam Lee's run-scoring double.
Northwest cut the deficit to 4-2 with runs in the fourth and sixth, but Ryker Rasmus' RBI in the bottom of the fourth gave Southeast enough cushion.
The win sends Southeast to another elimination game against the winner of Great Lakes vs. Metro, keeping its LLWS run alive.