Panama trips Marksville, La.

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BANGOR – Most of Tuesday night, Latin American batters swung mightily and missed trying to measure the spinning curveball of U.S. Southwest pitcher Shea Jeansonne.

Finally, with the game on the line, Ruben Tejada and Diego Guerra made solid contact.

Tejada ripped an RBI double to provide the go-ahead run and Guerra lashed a two-run single, both with two out in the seventh inning, to lift Santiago Veraguas, Panama, to a 4-3 victory over Marksville, La., in Pool B play during the Senior League World Series at cool Mansfield Stadium.

“We had faith and confidence in them because they’re aggressive… in the sense that they never give up,” Latin America manager Jose Maria Trujillo said in an interview conducted in Spanish. “They fight and fight; and they fought [tonight].”

Latin America is 2-0 going into today’s 2 p.m. game against Europe-Middle East-Africa, while the U.S. Southwest (1-1) faces U.S. East at 5 p.m.

Adolfo Reina, called upon after teammate Otto Castillo was ejected for throwing his helmet, was brilliant in relief. The righthander no-hit Marksville over the final four innings, allowing only one baserunner when a would-be strikeout victim reached on a wild pitch.

Reina (1-0), who combined a good fastball, a sharp overhand curve, and an occasional split-fingered pitch, struck out six and did not walk a batter. He retired the last 12 men he faced.

“I’ve always had confidence, always,” Reina said in Spanish. “In whatever moment he [coach] puts me in, I do the job.”

“Thank God I pulled out the victory for the team,” he added.

Starter Castillo, who struggled with his control, surrendered the only Southwest hit, a third-inning single to Jeansonne. He fanned three and walked four.

Jeansonne was hard for Panama to measure, but he appeared to tire a bit late. The righty allowed only four hits but walked six and hit a batter while striking out eight.

Down 2-1, Latin America rallied with two out in the seventh. Jeansonne opened the door, walking Julio Aparicio and hitting Isaac Forero with a pitch.

That brought up Tejada, who fouled off five straight offerings from Jeansonne before ripping an RBI double to left-center.

“It was a very slow curve, but we had to accustom ourselves to it and hit the ball up the middle and thank God we came out with the win,” Tejada said, speaking in Spanish.

Guerra, who had struck out his first two times up, followed by stinging a two-run single to left field that made it 4-2.

U.S. Southwest grabbed a 2-0 lead in the third. Kory Moss walked and took third when Wade Borrel’s sacrifice bunt was misplayed for an error. Zachary Roszell bunted Borrel over to second.

One out later, Jeansonne chopped an infield single toward shortstop, but third baseman Reina threw low to first, allowing the second run to score.

Marksville wouldn’t threaten again.

Panama stranded six runners over the first four innings before getting on the board in the fifth.

Tejada worked a leadoff walk, moved up on Ricardo Pinzon’s one-out groundout, and rode home on a hard single to left by Rafael Rodriguez.

LATIN AMERICA 4, U.S. SOUTHWEST 2

(Pool B)

U.S. Southwest (1-1) Latin America (2-0)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Moss, rf 3 1 0 0 Tejada, ss 3 2 1

Borrel, cf 1 1 0 0 Guerra, 2b 3 0 2

Roszell, ss 2 0 0 0 Jo. Aparicio, 2b 1 0

Webster, 3b 3 0 0 0 Castillo, p 1 0 0

Jeansonne, p 2 0 1 1 Pinzon, 3b 2 0 0

Brouillette, 2b 2 0 0 0 Rodriguez, 1b 2 1

Maddox, 1b 1 0 0 0 Castillo, 1b 0 0 0

Dunn, ph-1b 2 0 0 0 Montilla, rf 3 0 0

Lemoine, lf 1 0 0 0 Quintero, c 2 0 0

Moss, lf 1 0 0 0 Gonzalez, c 1 0 0

Normand, c 3 0 0 0 Reina, 3b-p 2 0 0

Ju. Aparicio, lf 0 1 0

Rodriguez, ph-lf 1 0 0

Forero, cf 2 1 0 0

Totals 21 2 1 1 Totals 23 4 5 4

U.S. Southwest 002 000 0 – 2

Latin America 000 013 x – 4

E-Lemoine; Jo. Aparicio, Reina; LOB-U.S. Southwest 5, Latin America 8; 2B-Tejada; S-Borrel, Roszell, Brouillette; SB-Roszell; Tejada, Ju. Aparicio

U.S. Southwest IP H R ER BB SO

Jeansonne (L, 0-1) 6 5 4 4 6 8

Latin America IP H R ER BB SO

Castillo 3 1 2 0 4 3

Reina (W, 1-0) 4 0 0 0 0 8

HBP-Forero (by Jeansonne); WP-Reina; PB-Normand; Gonzalez 2; T-2:21; ATT-900