Kinley Rasmus’ portion of the 2026 Little League Baseball World Series story is now written and sealed after her Alabama team was eliminated Wednesday. Her legacy, however, will echo.

Every August, when the LLBWS record books reopen, her name will line them for what she did over the last week in Williamsport.

The 12-year-old two-way star went out fairly quietly, going 0-for-1 at the plate in her Phenix City, Ala. team’s 11-2 loss to Hamilton, Ohio, in the U.S. Elimination Bracket Semifinal. It was her team’s second loss and the end of her run.

But she displayed dominance along the way.

In five games, Rasmus took the mound twice, logging 14 strikeouts. At the plate, she powered her team’s offense, collecting five hits and three RBIs. She tied Mo’ne Davis for the most strikeouts by a girl in a tournament, and set the record for the most hits by a girl.

Just stepping into Williamsport, her name was added to an exclusive group that graced the LLBWS stage. Rasmus became the 25th girl to play in the tournament’s 79-year history and the ninth to pitch in the competition. However, her showing outclassed them all, displaying a shutdown arm commensurate to her pop at the plate.

It runs in her blood. Her father, Cory Rasmus, pitched in MLB, and her uncle, Colby, was a big-league outfielder for 10 years. Her grandfather, Tony, played in the minors but coached Cory and Colby together on the 1999 Phenix City LLBWS team that made the final against the eventual champion from Japan.

Phenix City hadn’t made it to Williamsport in the 27 years since.

Though short-lived, the bar Kinley set on both sides of the ball will live in perpetuity. When the next girl takes the mound at the LLBWS, she’ll be eyeing the strikeout record Rasmus shares with Davis. And when the next girl steps into the batter’s box, she’ll be striving for the mark that Rasmus holds alone.

History now bears the Rasmus name.

There to chase, or simply as a reminder, for years to come.

Connor Norby rides a 10-game hitting streak into the Colorado Rockies’ game against the Washington Nationals, at 6:45 p.m. ET on Wednesday, at Nationals Park. Matt Waldron (1-2, 7.54 ERA) gets the start for the Nationals, who are 62-72 this season and fourth in the NL East. Tanner Gordon (0-4, 5.75 ERA) is expected to start for the Rockies, who are 51-81 and fifth in the NL West.

How to watch Colorado Rockies vs. Washington Nationals

Rockies vs. Nationals odds

• Favorite Moneyline: Nationals -139
• Underdog Moneyline: Rockies +115
• Total: 9
• Total Over Odds: +100
• Total Under Odds: -128

Injury reports

Nationals

James Wood: 10 Day IL (Oblique), Drew Millas: 10 Day IL (Finger), Josiah Gray: 60 Day IL (Elbow), DJ Herz: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Ken Waldichuk: 60 Day IL (Forearm), Richard Lovelady: 60 Day IL (Tricep), Mitchell Parker: 60 Day IL (Elbow), PJ Poulin: 60 Day IL (Flexor), Connelly Early: 60 Day IL (Elbow)

Rockies

Kyle Freeland: 15 Day IL (Neck), Sean Sullivan: 15 Day IL (Undisclosed), Chase Dollander: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Kris Bryant: 60 Day IL (Back), José Quintana: 60 Day IL (Elbow), McCade Brown: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), RJ Petit: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Welinton Herrera: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Pierson Ohl: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Kyle Karros: 7 Day IL (Concussion)

Stats to know

• Washington’s C.J. Abrams has hit 29 home runs this season, which ranks 11th in MLB. He has also tallied 92 RBIs (4th in MLB) and has scored 79 runs. In 543 plate appearances, he has recorded a .276 BA, .352 OBP and .525 SLG with an 8.7% walk rate and a 23.4% strikeout rate. He has been effective on the base paths, recording 26 steals on 31 attempts.
• In 548 plate appearances, Daylen Lile is hitting .249/.297/.418 with a .716 OPS and 13 steals on 19 attempts. He has hit 17 long balls, driven in 72 runs and scored 67 times.
• Colorado’s Jake McCarthy is slashing .292/.333/.479 this season with 13 home runs, 68 RBIs and an OPS of .812. He has a 16.9% strikeout rate and a 5.2% walk rate in 461 plate appearances, and he has scored 62 total runs. McCarthy has recorded 23 steals on 27 attempts.
• In 515 plate appearances, TJ Rumfield has posted a 14.4% strikeout rate and a 10.3% walk rate while slashing .286/.371/.437 with 13 home runs, 60 RBIs and 54 runs scored.

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Free-agent shooting guard Bennedict Mathurin, who finished last season with the LA Clippers, has agreed to a two-year, $16 million contract with the New Orleans Pelicans, according to a league source who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal has not been finalized.

The second year is a player option, according to a team source who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe ongoing deliberations. Mathurin was a restricted free agent, but the Clippers are expected to enable him to head to the Pelicans.

According to another league source who spoke on the condition of anonymity for their candor, New Orleans has been interested in Mathurin since his time in Indiana and sees him as a potential long-term piece. The source said the Pelicans tried to acquire him before the trade deadline in February, when the Pacers dealt him to the Clippers instead.

Mathurin, who turned 24 in June, just finished his fourth NBA season after being the No. 6 pick of the 2022 NBA Draft out of Arizona by the Pacers. He averaged 17.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in 30 minutes per game with the Pacers and Clippers last season.

The Montreal native and 2023 All-Rookie first-team selection was traded to LA in February in a deal that sent center Ivica Zubac to Indiana. The Clippers also acquired what turned out to be the fifth pick in the 2026 draft, which LA used to select point guard Keaton Wagler out of Illinois.

Last season was a mixed bag for Mathurin. He was a starter for the Pacers to begin the season, but he suffered a right great toe sprain in the first week that cost him 11 games. Indiana, besieged by injuries after reaching the 2025 NBA Finals, was 1-12 when Mathurin returned. Then, Mathurin suffered a right thumb sprain in January that cost him 11 more games. Mathurin averaged 17.8 points per game during his final half-season with the Pacers, averaging 5.2 free throw attempts while making a career-best 2.1 3s, converting the 3s at a 37.2 percent clip while making 88.4 percent from the free throw line.

The Clippers elected to use Mathurin as a bench weapon after acquiring him, starting him only once out of 26 games. Mathurin averaged 17.4 points per game as a Clipper, but while he was more reliant on the free throw line (7.3 attempts per game), his 3-pointer abandoned him (only 0.7 3s per game while shooting 20.7 percent). The Clippers also used Mathurin as a passer more than the Pacers did, and he averaged 2.5 assists as a Clipper after averaging 2.3 assists with the Pacers to begin the season. Mathurin was slightly more active in getting rebounds (5.5 per game) and steals (1.0 per game) with the Clippers as well. The Clippers did have to manage Mathurin’s bothersome toe in March, holding him out for four games in the middle of the month.

Mathurin’s scoring ability has a high ceiling as either a starter or a reserve. He opened the season with a 36-point performance in a double overtime loss to the Thunder. Mathurin then came off the bench and led the Clippers to a win over the Nuggets in February while matching his career high with 38 points. Mathurin is a solid athlete who has a knack for timely cuts, though he is more effective at scoring out of ball screens than isolations. Only Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tim Hardaway Jr. had more 20-point games off the bench than Mathurin (13) last season. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound wing has the physical tools to be a good defender, though he has not always shown it in his career.

However, Mathurin’s game tends to fall apart if he can’t get to the free-throw line. He’s an inconsistent finisher who has not mastered midrange shooting, and defenses that are committed to not fouling him have taken him out of his game. Mathurin’s decision-making as a passer is not always precise, and he loses focus too often to be relied upon as a top defender. Mathurin’s durability is also a consideration; he missed 28 games last season and underwent season-ending surgery in March 2024 to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

Mathurin was on the 2025 Pacers team that lost Game 7 of the NBA Finals, and he averaged 4.7 free throw attempts per game in the 2025 postseason. But Mathurin’s minutes went from 29.8 per game in the 2024-25 regular season to only 17.5 in the postseason, and that was after ceding his starting position to Aaron Nesmith once the latter got healthy at midseason. Indiana and Mathurin failed to agree to a rookie scale extension the following October, setting up February’s deadline deal.