TAYLOR, Mich. — Pearl City had plenty of baserunners, but couldn't get any of them home during the United States championship game of the Junior League World Series yesterday.

El Campo, Texas, scored three runs in the third inning and one in the fifth en route to a 4-0 victory over Pearl City, which will play Venezuela today in the third-place consolation game.

Continuing a problem that has plagued the team all week, Pearl City stranded seven baserunners and ended an inning with the bases loaded for the fourth time in two days.

"Three years in a row, we tried to (make the championship game), but we came up a little short," Pearl City manager Mitchell Yamato said. "It was a hell of a ball game. They didn't give up, and that's all you can ask."

Pearl City pitcher Keanu Sato breezed through the first two innings, but ran into trouble in the third. After a balk by Sato scored the second run of the inning, pitcher Robert Brown came on in relief. A wild pitch by Brown scored the third run for Texas.

But Brown made just one mistake the rest of the game, allowing a home run to Texas catcher Landon Appling.

"He's pretty much the heart of our staff," Yamato said.

Offensively, Pearl City loaded the bases with two outs in the first inning, but couldn't score. Only two more runners would reach second base for Pearl City, which had just four hits in the game. First baseman Kala Neal had two singles and second baseman Kahana Neal had a double.

Despite the loss, Pearl City still can finish among the top three teams in the world with a win today.

"There are only so many teams out of thousands that can be here, and we're one of them," Brown said. "I'm happy we actually came."

After the loss, Pearl City players still were able to smile about their accomplishments.

"They still want to win and go home in third place," Yamato said.