The boys from Billings have the perfect excuse to miss the start of school Wednesday back home in Montana — they keep winning at the Little League World Series.

Patrick Zimmer tossed five shutout innings and Ben Askelson hit a two-out, two-run single in a 3-1 win over Lafayette, La., yesterday that kept the Northwest region champs undefeated in South Williamsport, Pa.

It’s not a bad start for the first team from Montana to ever qualify for youth baseball’s biggest tournament, even though the players didn’t think they would get here.

“We were just kind of hoping to make it” to the regional tournament, said Ian Leatherberry, 12, who added an insurance run in the sixth with a two-out, RBI double. “That was our ultimate goal, and then we got even farther.”

Calif. 10, Kentucky 0 (4)

Huntington Beach, Calif., pounded out 12 hits, Hagen Danner and Nick Pratto combined on a two-hitter, and the West region champs stayed undefeated in the Little League World Series with a win over LaGrange, Ky.

Pratto and Ryo Takeda each knocked in two runs to lead the way.

The game ended after four because of Little League’s 10-run rule.

Mexico 3, Japan 2 (7)

“Yes we can! Yes we can,” Mexico’s fans chanted in Spanish after Bruno Ruiz’s two-out RBI single in the seventh inning scored Jorge Jacobo, as Mexicali, Mexico defeated Hamamatsu City, Japan. A jubilant Ruiz, 13, couldn’t stop smiling after he reached first, mobbed by teammates along the first-base line after the hit kept Mexico unbeaten in the tournament.

Venezuela 8, Canada 0

Yonny Hernandez hit two homers and three pitchers combined for a shutout to help Maracay, Venezuela, stay unbeaten with a win over Langley, British Columbia.