Kinley Rasmus, lighting up the Little League World Series, ties Mo’ne Davis mark

Her team was down early in Monday’s win-or-go-home game at the Little League World Series. But then Kinley Rasmus heeded the call to the ‘pen — and delivered yet another gem to keep Phenix City (Ala.) alive.

Along the way, Rasmus, a breakout star of this year’s event, made more history.

After seven innings of play, some crafty defense and clutch hitting, Phenix City escaped with a 6-5 win over against West Chester (Pa.), giving Rasmus with another notch on her signature bow. With six strikeouts over 4 2/3 scoreless innings, Rasmus — the 12-year-old daughter of former major leaguer Cory Rasmus — is up to 14 for the tournament, tying Mo’ne Davis (Philadelphia, 2014) for the most strikeouts by a girl in series history.

That, plus six additional scoreless innings in her tournament debut, along with eight strikeouts, has made Rasmus one of the biggest storylines of the tournament. At the time of her debut, Rasmus became the 25th girl to ever compete in the annual tournament and just the ninth female pitcher ever.

“It’s unbelievable to watch, and just the skill level of all the kids there is just amazing,” Davis said in an ESPN interview. “I’m always going to cheer for all the girls that are there and I’m always super proud of all the girls that come through. Just watching Kinley get all those strikeouts in a game is just unbelievable.”

When she’s not pitching, you can find Rasmus playing shortstop and helping her team on offense, her two-way status helping Phenix City survive the early part of the tournament. However, things only get more challenging from here.

Because Rasmus pitched Monday, she won’t be available for Tuesday’s elimination game against Tacoma (Wash.). Should her team advance, Rasmus could be a factor after she receives the requisite amount of rest required by Little League.

Until then, her potent bat will have to do.