First Series qualifier to be determined today

The 2006 Senior League World Series is more than a month away, but the 10-team international field that will descend on Bangor’s Mansfield Stadium in mid-August will have its first qualifier as of Saturday.

That’s when the Paraguana Little League of Falcon, Venezuela, will square off against the Pariba Little League of Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, for the Latin America championship at Monterrey, Mexico.

The Venezuelan team enters the game with a 4-0 record, having outscored its opponents 40-2 while advancing unbeaten through pool play and then defeating Hermosillo, Mexico, 12-0 in Thursday’s semifinals.

Curacao is 3-1, having gone 2-1 in pool play before its 9-3 semifinal victory over Manati, Puerto Rico, on Thursday.

Both countries have sent teams to the SLWS during Bangor’s first four years as the tournament’s host city. Curacao won the 2002 series at Mansfield Stadium – the last time a non-U.S. team has reached the championship game – and advanced to the semifinals a year later before dropping a 3-2 decision to that year’s champion, U.S. West winner Hilo, Hawaii.

A team from Maracaibo, Venezuela, was the 2004 SLWS Latin America representative. That team also reached the semis before losing 1-0 to U.S. West champion Oxnard, Calif.

Santiago Veraguas, Panama, represented Latin America last summer and was eliminated in pool play as four American teams advanced to the semifinals.

U.S. Central champion Urbandale, Iowa, won the 2005 SLWS, defeating U.S. West champ Pearl City, Hawaii, 7-2 in the title game.

This year’s Senior League World Series runs from Sunday, Aug. 13, through Saturday, Aug. 19. Five days of pool play kick off at noon Aug. 13 when the host team from Maine District 3 squares off against the Canadian champion.

The top two teams from each of two pools advance to the semifinals on Friday, Aug. 18, followed a day later by the championship game.

Tournament organizers plan to announce the full schedule for this year’s event at 11:15 a.m. Tuesday at Mansfield Stadium.

Officials will also release details of the Opening Day ceremonies scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 12, and the 2006 All-Tourney Souvenir Pass.

While Latin America will crown its champion this weekend, regional action also is scheduled on several other fronts.

The Asia Pacific tournament is slated to begin Sunday and continue through July 14 at Jakarta, Indonesia. Agana, Guam, is the defending champion in that region.

The European (EMEA) qualifying tournament will run July 11-16 at Miejska Gorka, Poland, with Tbilisi, Georgia, the 2005 champion in that region.

And the battle to determine the host team began Friday at Mansfield Stadium, with seven teams vying to represent Maine District 3. Teams from Bangor, Brewer, Glenburn, Hampden, Holbrook, Old Town and Orono-Veazie are competing in a double-elimination tournament that will crown the 2006 district champion, with the final round scheduled for July 20 or July 25, if necessary.

Other American qualifying tournaments are: U.S. West, Salem, Ore., July 31-Aug. 8; U.S. East, West Deptford, N.J., Aug. 4-10; U.S. South, Toccoa, Ga., Aug. 4-8; U.S. Southwest, Brenham, Texas, Aug. 5-9; and U.S. Central, Peru, Ill., Aug. 5-10.

The Canadian champion will be determined Aug. 3-10 at Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia.