WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — The Honolulu Little League All-Stars have the title to accompany the eye test as the best team of 11- and 12-year-olds in the country.

Now Hawaii’s squad will go for the world.

Honolulu defeated Nolensville, Tenn., 5-1, in a game closer than all the rest of a dominant march to the U.S. Little League World Series championship, the sixth for the state and second in the last four editions of the tournament.

The All-Stars outscored opposition 47-2 in five games in the U.S. bracket, an average margin of victory of nine runs.

At 9 a.m. (Hawaii time) Sunday, Hawaii will go for its fourth overall LLWS title (2005, 2008, 2018) against the International champion, Curacao. The Caribbean nation of about 150,000 people beat Taiwan 1-0 on Saturday.

Curacao was the 2004 LLWS champ. Hawaii’s Ewa Beach team memorably beat the defending champs in extra innings in 2005.

Honolulu starter Cohen Sakamoto was effective with his trademark rapid pace on the mound Saturday, throwing 4 2/3 innings of two-hit ball with an unearned run, seven strikeouts and no walks. Sakamoto gave up his first hit of the LLWS in the fourth inning after 12 hitless frames.

Luke Hiramoto finished the job and manager Gerald Oda, who led Honolulu to the 2018 overall LLWS crown, was able to preserve ace Jaron Lancaster for Sunday’s overall championship.

Daly Watson doubled in Lancaster in the first inning as Honolulu picked up its potent offense from its 13-0, four-inning win over the same Tennessee team in the U.S. winner’s bracket final on Wednesday.

Tau Purcell and Kekoa Payanal recorded RBIs in the second for a 3-0 lead.

After Tennessee’s Jack Rhodes led off the fourth with a single, second baseman Payanal made Hawaii’s second error of the day, and of the entire LLWS, on a pop fly on the ensuing batter Bo Daniel.

Tennessee got on the board with a swinging bunt by Wright Martin, as Hawaii gave up only its second run in the LLWS and the first in four games. But Sakamoto got timely strikeouts to limit the damage.

Ruston Hiyoto smacked a two-run, pinch-hit homer to straightaway center for a 5-1 lead in the fourth.

Sakamoto reached the pitch limit of 85 in the fifth and Luke Hiramoto was summoned to finish the job. Hiramoto went the last 1 1/3 innings with one hit allowed and one strikeout.

Rhodes led off the top of the sixth with a single to right-center. But Payanal caught a liner off the bat of JF Forni and fired to first to double up Rhodes, and Martin struck out swinging to trigger Honolulu's victorious lap around the storied field at Williamsport.

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii.