After Northeast Seattle arrived in Williamsport, Pa., this week for the Little League World Series, multiple players caught a bad case of the stomach flu. Before the first pitch in Thursday’s opening-round game, leadoff hitter Nolan Chang was sick in the dugout. 

“When we first got here our catcher, Nathan [Ehrlichman], was super sick; he threw up on the plane here,” pitcher Trey Kirchoff said in a postgame interview on ESPN. “That kind of spread throughout the team. Even I got sick, I threw up all night about like three nights ago. We have just been slowly getting better. Even before this game. Our [leadoff] hitter [Nolan Chang] threw up right before his first at-bat.”

But Northeast Seattle, representing Washington and the Northwest Region champion, overcame the team outbreak and won its opener 10-0 in four innings over Maine, the New England Region champion, at Howard J. Lamade Stadium. 

“It all starts in the first game,” Kirchoff said. “You really just got to set the tone in the first game, and it carries you throughout the tournament.”

Kirchoff, Northeast Seattle’s ace, turned in a dominant pitching performance. He struck out the first two batters and didn’t allow a hit until the third inning.

“It’s crazy. Like he’s just pitching every shutout,” teammate Matthew Fischer told ESPN. “He only [allowed] one run in the regionals. Our pitching is so good.”

Northeast Seattle’s lineup doesn’t have a lot of power, with just one home run dating to regionals. But the team has strung together base hits to outscore opponents 43-1 since beginning regional play. The team scored its 10 runs on nine hits Thursday.

“We score a lot of runs,” Fischer said. “We talk to our teammates about what [the pitch] looks like. So we know what [a pitch] will look like.”

Little League World Series games use a continuous batting order, meaning every player on the roster must hit. Kirchoff didn’t allow Maine’s 14-player order to bat around a second time, retiring all except one, a hit allowed in the third inning. 

Northeast Seattle opened the scoring in the second inning when Rylan Jackson knocked a two-run single to right field. Jackson finished 2 for 2, and Fischer had two hits and an RBI. 

Northeast Seattle blew the game open in the third with six runs. The inning included a Chang double; singles from Owen Luke, Fischer and Brett Taylor; and an errant pickoff attempt that allowed two runs to score. 

Little League’s run-rule took effect during the fourth inning after RBI singles by Sam Santos and Chang increased the lead to 10-0. With Maine needing a run in the bottom of the inning to extend the game, Kirchoff ended it just as he started it, with a strikeout. 

Kirchoff’s final stat line: four innings, one hit allowed with no walks and eight strikeouts. He has allowed one run in his past four appearances.

Kirchoff credited coach Christian Shewey for the team’s success.

“It helps us a lot,” Kirchoff said. “Christian’s a coach that really just pushes us and makes sure we’re not goofing off and keeps us really in the right mindset.”

Northeast Seattle’s next game is noon Monday against the winner of Friday’s game between Rhode Island and Tennessee. The game will be televised by ESPN.

Michael Chavez: mchavez@seattletimes.com; on Twitter: @RealMikeChavez. Michael Chavez is a sports reporting intern covering all levels of sports in the Seattle area for the The Seattle Times.