The 2005 Senior League World Series has its first entry.

The Activo 20-30 Little League of Santiago Veraguas, Panama, has qualified for the 10-team international field that will converge on Mansfield Stadium on Aug. 14-20 by winning the Latin American tournament that concluded Sunday.

Panama earned its ticket to Bangor by defeating the previously unbeaten Aruba South Little League from San Nicholas, Aruba, 6-2 in the championship game played at Phillipsburg, Saint Maarten. The win avenged Panama’s only defeat in pool play, a 10-2 loss to Aruba on the opening day of the qualifying tournament on July 2.

Panama went on to finish second in Pool A with a 4-1 record, then earned its berth in the Latin America final with a 6-5 semifinal victory over the Matamoros Little League of Tamaulipas, Mexico, on Saturday. Aruba went 5-0 to win Pool A, then reached the title game with a 7-4 semifinal victory over the Del Norte Little League of Baranquilla, Colombia.

The Panamanian team will seek to be the third Latin American entry to win the Senior League (ages 15-16) World Series championship in the last six years. Panama City, Panama, won the title in 2000, while Curacao was victorious in 2002, the first year the tournament was held in Bangor.

Another member of this year’s Senior League World Series field will be determined this week.

The Asia Pacific champion will be crowned Thursday at Tinian Island, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The Philippines, Hong Kong, Guam and defending champion CNMI are vying for that title, and currently are involved in pool play.

Also under way is the Maine District 3 tournament that will determine the host team for the World Series. Teams from Bangor, Hampden, Holbrook, Glenburn and Old Town are competing in a tournament that is scheduled to crown its champion on Monday, July 18.

The remaining seven World Series teams, representing the U.S. East, West, Southwest, South and Central as well as Canada and the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), will be determined in early August.

Freehold Township, N.J., is the defending Senior League World Series champion.

Opening ceremonies for the 2005 Senior League World Series will be held on Saturday, Aug. 13, with pool play set to begin the next day.