Montilla leads Panama to win against Iowa

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BANGOR – For righthander David Montilla of Santiago Veraguas, Panama, the biggest obstacle in his pitching debut at the Senior League World Series on Sunday night was the weather.

When it rained, Urbandale, Iowa, rang up for three runs on two hits, two hit batters, and two walks to take a 3-1 lead in the top of the second inning.

When the rain subsided, there was little the U.S. Central champs could do to break through as Montilla settled down to pitch the Latin American representatives to a 6-4 victory during opening-day play at Mansfield Stadium.

Montilla finished with a four-hitter featuring 12 strikeouts. He allowed just one run on two hits over the final five innings, and retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced – the only exception a walk that was erased on a game-ending double play.

“I didn’t have the best night, but still we won the game,” he said. “I expect to do better the next game.”

“We got to him that one inning in the rain, and we prolonged it as long as we could,” said Urbandale manager John Hoberg. “I wish we could have got a gapper there and really broke it open, but to his credit, it didn’t happen.”

Panama, meanwhile, scored in five of its six at-bats against three Urbandale pitchers.

Shortstop Ruben Tejada singled and also had a two-run triple in the second inning to tie the game after Urbandale took its only lead. Otto Castillo added two singles, a walk, a sacrifice fly, and scored two runs, while Elidio Rodriguez singled home a run and drew a bases-loaded walk.

Panama also benefited from two Urbandale balks and two wild pitches that helped advance runners who scored.

“It’s the little things that got us here, but the little things cost us tonight,” Hoberg said.

Castillo singled with two outs in the first, went to second on a balk, and scored on a single by Rodriguez to give Panama a 1-0 lead.

Urbandale sent nine batters to the plate in the second, with an infield chopper by Tyler Miles plating Jared Norris with one run. Mike Hoberg was hit by a pitch to force home Miles, while Kelly Waddell singled and later scored on a bases-loaded walk to Alex Conlon before Montilla – who struck out the side in the first and second innings – got Jeremy Schuck to end the inning.

After Tejada’s double tied the game in the bottom of the second, Panama took a 4-3 lead in the third on singles by Otto and Manuel Castillo, a balk, and a sacrifice fly by Montilla.

Urbandale tied the game in the fourth on Waddell’s second single, two Panama errors, and an RBI groundout by Conlon.

Panama regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth. A single by Rafael Rodriguez seemed to be for naught when Diego Guerra struck out for the apparent third out. But when the ball got away for a wild pitch, Guerra reached base as Rodriguez went to third. After an intentional walk, pinch runner Julio Aparicio scored on a bases-loaded walk to Elidio Rodriguez.

Panama added a run in the sixth as Tejada singled and was sacrificed to second by Guerra before scoring on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly by Castillo.

LATIN AMERICA 6, U.S. CENTRAL 4

(Pool B Sunday)

Urbandale, Iowa (0-1) Panama (1-0)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Hoberg, ss 2 0 0 1 Tejada, ss 4 1 2

Conlon, 2b 2 0 0 2 Guerra, 2b 2 0 0

Schuck, p-3b-lf 4 0 0 0 Jo.Aparicio, 2b 1 0

Norris, 1b-lf 2 1 1 0 O. Castillo 2 1

Raisch, 3b-p 3 0 0 0 E. Rodriguez, 1b 2 2

Englund, rf-cf 3 0 0 0 M. Castillo, 1b 1 0

Miles, lf 1 2 1 1 Montilla, p 2 0 1

Coffey, lf 1 0 0 0 Quintero, c 0 1 0

Weeks, 3b-1b 1 0 0 0 Gonzalez, c 1 0 0

Waddell, c 3 1 2 0 Reina, 3b 2 0 0

Davis, cf 1 0 0 0 Pinzon, 3b 1 0 0

Watson, p 1 0 0 0 Ju. Aparicio, lf 2 0

R. Rodriguez, lf 1 0 0

Forero, cf 2 0 1 0

Totals 24 4 4 4 Totals 23 6 9 6

U.S. Central 030 100 0-4

Latin America 121 101 x-6

E-Tejada, Montilla; LOB-U.S. Central 5, Latin America 7; 3B-Tejada; DP-Tejada to M. Castillo, Reina to Guerra to E. Rodriguez; S-Guerra, Forero; SF-Montilla, O. Castillo

U.S. Central IP H R ER BB SO

Schuck 2 6 4 4 0 1

Raisch (L, 0-1) 3 2 1 1 2 2

Watson 1 1 1 1 0 0

Latin America IP H R ER BB SO

Montilla (W, 1-0) 7 4 4 3 4 12

HBP-Norris (by Montilla), Hoberg (by Montilla); Quintero 2 (by Schuck, by Raisch); WP-Raisch, Watson; Montilla; BK-Schuck 2; Montilla; T-2:19; ATT-300