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South Williamsport, Pa. • The Little League World Series has a first-ever entry from Australia.
The Perth Metro Central league beat Adelaide South 8-2 to win the inaugural Australia region tournament Wednesday. Perth is the first qualifier to this year's 16-team World Series field.
Little League realigned its regions to give Australia its own bracket this year to account for growth. Baseball Australia chief executive officer Brett Pickett says it's an historic moment for the sport in his country.
Perth will have to wait a few months though until it returns to tournament action. The Little League World Series doesn't start until August 15. Perth claimed one of the eights berths for international teams. The other eight berths are reserved for U.S squads.
Japan beat Tennessee 12-2 to win last year's World Series.