BANGOR – Ryan Cuneo proved himself a good student of the game Thursday, and used that knowledge to propel Freehold Township, N.J., to a berth in the semifinals of the 2005 Senior League World Series.

Cuneo pitched 7 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, and then doubled off the flagpole just inside the center field fence with no one out in the bottom of the ninth to drive home A.J. Rusbarsky with the winning run as the U.S. East champions outlasted Santiago Veraguas, Panama, 6-5 at Mansfield Stadium.

The win advances the defending world champions, who finished pool play with a 3-1 record, to a semifinal at 11:30 a.m. Friday against Pearl City, Hawaii. Should Freehold Township win that game, it would play in the championship game Saturday afternoon.

Cuneo’s blast came on the second pitch he saw from reliever Ruben Tejada, just after watching the Panamanian reliever walk Rusbarsky during a six-pitch at bat.

“I was looking for a fastball,” said Cuneo. “I watched A.J. bat and didn’t see many off-speed pitches, so I was sitting on the fastball. The first pitch was a little up but I was anxious and took a big hack. The next pitch was right up there around chest high. I put a good swing on it, and hoped to hit it a long way.”

Four hundred feet later, Rusbarsky crossed the plate to cap off a comeback from a first-game loss in pool play as well as a 5-0 second-inning deficit to the Latin American champions.

“We were in a little bit of a hole, but I never doubted this team,” said Freehold Township center fielder Dominick Hayes. “After we lost our first game, we sulked for about an hour, and then we got back to business, and now we’re back in the semifinals.”

Hayes helped make that possible with a game-saving catch in the bottom of the fifth. Panama had runners on first and third with two outs in a 5-5 contest when No. 9 hitter Isaac Forero lined a shot to the gap in left-center.

Hayes went full-speed after the ball and made a diving catch to end the inning and prevent Panama from regaining the lead.

“I knew right off the bat that I wasn’t letting this one drop and I tracked it down,” said Hayes. “A lot of people obviously thought it was out of my reach, but a lot of people don’t know me, too. I don’t let anything fall. I don’t mean to brag, but if something’s in the air I’m going to do everything I can to catch it.”

Panama reached Freehold starter John Whitley and reliever Mike Kinsella for five runs in the top of the second, with Jonathan Aparacio hitting a two-run single and Otto Castillo adding a two-run double to highlight the rally.

But Cuneo came on to strike out the final two batters of the inning, and went on allow just three hits the rest of the way while striking out 11 and walking no one.

“I told Coach [Charles Wilmot] I was ready to go,” said Cuneo. “I hadn’t pitched all week, but when I came in I felt good and my coach was calling great pitches for me. We really worked the counts and it worked out.”

Freehold Township scored four runs off Panama starter David Montilla in the bottom of the second to get back into the game, with Hayes’ two-run double to left-center and a bloop RBI single to right by Kinsella the key hits.

The U.S. East champs tied the game in the fourth. Hayes hit a two-out single, advanced on a passed ball and scored when Rusbarsky singled to center.

U.S. EAST 6, LATIN AMERICA 5

(Pool B, 9 innings)

Panama (2-2) Freehold Twp. N.J. (3-1)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Tejada, ss-p 4 1 1 0 Hayes, cf 4 1 2

Guerra, 2b-ss 4 0 0 0 Rusbarsky, ss 4 1

Jo. Aparacio, 2b 1 1 1 2 Cuneo, 1b-p 5 1

O. Castillo, rf 5 0 2 2 Nardi, rf 4 0

Montilla, p-2b 2 0 0 0 Wilmot, 2b-lf 3 0

E. Rodriguez, 1b 4 0 0 0 Archer, 2b 1 0

M. Castillo, 1b 1 0 0 0 Cooney, lf-3b 4 0

Reina, 3b 3 1 2 0 Baggitt, c 4 1 0

Pinzon, 3b 1 0 0 0 Kinsella, 3b-p 2 1 1

Quintero, c 3 0 0 0 Majewski, lf 1 0 0

Gonzalez, c 1 0 0 0 Whitley, p-2b 1 0 0

Ju. Aparacio, lf 2 1 1 0 MacLean, 1b 3 0

R. Rodriguez, lf 1 0 0 0

Forero, cf 3 1 0 0

Totals 35 5 7 4 Totals 36 6 10 5

Latin America 050 000 000 – 5

U.S. East 040 100 001 – 6

No outs when winning run scored.

E-Tejada, Montilla, M. Castillo, Reina; LOB-Latin America 9, U.S. East 9; 2B-Tejada, O. Castillo, Reina; Hayes, Cuneo; 3B-Nardi; DP-Guerra to Tejada to E. Rodriguez; SB-O. Castillo, Montilla; Kinsella

Latin America IP H R ER BB SO

Montilla 7 1/3 9 5 4 2 9

Tejada (L, 0-1) 2/3 1 1 1 1 1

U.S. East IP H R ER BB SO

Whitley 1 1/3 2 3 3 3 1

Kinsella 0 2 2 2 1 0

Cuneo (W, 1-0) 7 2/3 3 0 0 0 11

Kinsella pitched to four batters in 2nd

HBP-Tejada (by Kinsella); Montilla (by Cuneo); WP-Montilla; Whitley 3, Cuneo; PB-Quintero; T-3:09; ATT-350 (est.)