Latin America shows perseverance

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BANGOR – A rules protest, a rare hidden ball trick, a breakdown by a starting pitcher, the winning RBI by a pinch hitter, a key error.

Through it all, Latin America survived an eventful Senior League World Series Pool B game Tuesday afternoon at Mansfield Stadium.

The Paraguana Little League team from Falcon, Venezuela, got an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a tie and edge U.S. Southwest 4-3 to start 2-0 in pool play.

Tulsa National Little League of Tulsa, Okla., fell to 1-1.

There weren’t any runs scored in the fifth, but there was plenty of action on the field and during a break of more than 30 minutes while tournament officials tried to sort out a Venezuela protest.

Venezuela manager Osmar Reyes claimed Oklahoma had made an illegal substitution when it sent pitcher Jonathan Sebring back to the mound after he was pinch-hit for in the top of the fourth.

Tournament director Mike Brooker called officials at Little League headquarters in Williamsport, Pa. The ruling was that Oklahoma had made the correct substitution.

Reyes said his team had been in Oklahoma’s position during their regional last month in Monterrey, Mexico, and had been penalized for it.

“When we took out the pitcher for another hitter, they protested,” Reyes said through a translator. “We couldn’t win for that reason. We tried to do the same. In Mexico we had [one set of] rules and here we had other rules. So it’s troubling.”

The game was stopped with Venezuela’s Freddy Galvis on first after he hit a leadoff single. But he didn’t last long there – Sebring, who was standing on the infield grass, played with the rosin bag while first baseman Wade Ambrose hid the ball from Galvis. Ambrose tagged out Galvis when the runner stepped off the bag.

In the end, however, Venezuela emerged the winner.

Venezuela scored three of its runs in the first three innings. Oklahoma tied it in the fourth, but a sixth-inning single by pinch-hitter Rito Garcia bounced over the head of Oklahoma third baseman Daniel Deason, allowing Eduardo Cuba to score the winning run in the bottom of the sixth.

“In Venezuela [Garcia] was doing OK, but two nights ago he was starting [to lose] his confidence, so we [wanted to] give him confidence so he can do well,” Reyes said.

Oklahoma went five innings without a fielding mistake, but a throwing error with two outs in the bottom of the sixth allowed Cuba to advance to third.

“We played great defense through the whole game,” Sebring said. “We fell apart at the end. But we’ll be ready for the next game.”

Venezuela starter Osmar Morillo didn’t allow a base runner until he broke down in the top of the fourth. He gave up three straight walks to start the inning and then hit Jon Reed for Oklahoma’s first run. Daniel Deason followed with a single to plate another runner.

Morillo was lifted for Brian Mora, who walked the first batter he faced, Mark Robinette, to force in the tying run.

Reyes said Morillo was affected by a strikeout he had at the plate in the second inning.

“He lost his concentration,” he said. “He started throwing balls. He wants to hit, too, so he took the strikeout to the mound.”

Oklahoma couldn’t capitalize after that inning, however, stranding eight base runners, including two in the top of the seventh.

LATIN AMERICA 4, U.S. SOUTHWEST 3

Tulsa, Okla. (1-1) Falcon, Venezuela (2-0)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Comfort, lf 3 1 0 0 Galvis, ss 3 1 0

Mantle, rf-3b 1 0 0 0 Perozo, cf 3 1

Chism, rf 2 0 1 0 Diaz, 3b 3 1 1

Martin, ss-cf 3 1 0 0 Cuba, c 3 1 1

Reed, 3b-ss 3 0 1 1 Rojas, 1b 2 0 0

Deason, 2b-3b 3 0 1 1 Pena, lf 3 0

Galbraith, cf-rf 1 1 0 0 Pina, 2b 3 0

Robinette, cf-2b 0 0 0 1 Ruiz, 2b 0 0

Way, c 2 0 0 0 Morillo, p 1 0 0

Polly, 1b 0 0 0 0 Mora, p 1 0 0 0

Ambrose, 1b 2 0 0 0 Garcia, ph 1 0 1

Sebring, p 2 0 0 0 Osteicoechea, rf 3 0

Maner, ph 1 0 1 0

Totals 23 3 4 3 Totals 26 4 11 4

Oklahoma 000 300 0 – 3

Venezuela 102 001 x – 4

E-Robinette, Way; LOB-Oklahoma 8, Venezuela 5; 2B-Cuba; DP-Pina-Galvis-Rojas; S-Robinette, Way; Rojas

Oklahoma IP H R ER BB SO

Sebring (L, 0-1) 6 11 4 3 0 1

Venezuela IP H R ER BB SO

Morillo 3 1 3 3 3 2

Mora (W, 1-0) 4 3 0 0 3 1

Morillo faced five batters in the 4th

HBP-Reed (by Morillo); WP-Sebring; BK-Sebring; T-2:01; ATT-350