BANGOR – They fought back from an early three-run deficit, had several players injured, and almost ran out of able-bodied players, but the Latin American region champs from Falcon, Venezuela, still found a way to win in the Senior League World Series Thursday.

The Paraguana team from Falcon showed it had quality depth to go with its talent as it clawed back from 3-0 and 5-3 deficits to beat U.S. East champ Bloomfield, N.J., in a battle of unbeaten teams on the final day of Series pool play at Mansfield Stadium.

Venezuela ended up outslugging Bloomfield 12-8 to clear up Friday’s semifinal matchups: Bloomfield (3-1) will play 4-0 Pearl City, Hawaii, at 4:30 today and 4-0 Venezuela will meet 3-1 Yorktown, Va., at 7:30 p.m.

“We were hoping for a small game, like 5-4 or 6-4, but it just broke out with hits here and there,” said Bloomfield manager Rob Chiaravallotti. “They kept coming back and it seemed every time we tried to do something, it backfired.”

Nothing backfired early as Bloomfield cleanup hitter Richard Monroig launched a 1-0 fastball from Falcon starter Eduard Sanchez over the fence in right center for a 375-foot, three-run home run – the first of the entire Series – with one out in the first inning.

Venezuela tied it with three runs on three hits in the top of the third, but New Jersey would regain the lead in the bottom half of the inning after an on-field collision between two Venezuelan players knocked one of them out of the game and injured both.

An apparent third out courtesy of backup shortstop Francisco Diaz’s sprinting, lunging catch of a ball flared out to shallow right center field was foiled as second baseman Marcos Pina collided hard with him on the play, knocked Diaz’s legs out from under him in a cartwheel, and jarred the ball loose from Diaz’s glove.

After a 17-minute delay Diaz was helped off the field with a leg injury, and Pina’s right forearm and wrist was bandaged and taped. Pina moved to short, Leonardo Rojas switched over to second, and Gabriel Pernalete came in for Diaz at first. The result was a double by Liam Penberthy and Bloomfield runners at second and third. Pinch-hitter Matthew Mazzolla then laced the first pitch he saw to left for a two-run double.

Starting pitcher Sanchez had already left the game with an undisclosed injury two pitches into the second inning and starting shortstop Freddy Galvis left the game in the third with a separated shoulder after a freak injury while rounding first base.

“It was a hard game because of the players’ injuries. We had a lot of good guys on the bench,” Venezuelan manager Osmar Reyes said through player Brian Mora, who replaced Galvis. “We worried about our players, but I told them to play like it was our last game and do the best we can.”

They did that and then some, roaring back with four runs in both the fourth and fifth.

Pina started things off in the fourth with a leadoff single, the first of three straight. After an infield flyout, catcher Rito Garcia mashed an 0-1 pitch from Jersey starter Chris Delli Paoli to the warning track in left center for a bases-clearing triple. Pernalete then did Diaz proud with an RBI single.

In the fifth, Pina started things again with a leadoff single. A walk and hit batter loaded the bases before four runs came across on a Mora sacrifice fly, Garcia’s RBI double, and Pernalete’s two-run single to right.

“I wasn’t surprised because we showed in the other games we can score a lot of runs, even without one or two players,” said Reyes. “We are a team with more than just two or three good players.”

Garcia led the 14-hit attack by going 4-for-4 with a triple, three doubles, five RBIs and three runs scored.

“We kept thinking we were going to come back, but once they put up 11 runs, it was trouble,” Chiaravallotti said.

LATIN AMERICA 12, U.S. EAST 8

Venezuela (4-0) Bloomfield, N.J. (3-1)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Galvis, ss 2 0 1 1 V.Del Vecchio, ss 5 0

Mora, rf-p 2 1 0 1 Miller, 3b 4 1 0

Garcia, c 4 3 4 5 Chiaravalloti, 1b-p 3 1

Diaz, 3b-ss 2 0 1 1 Monroig, rf 3 1 4

Pernalete, 1b 3 0 2 3 Delli Paoli, p 0 0

Cuba, rf-3b 4 0 1 1 Chesterman, 1b 4 1 2

Rojas, 3b-2b-ss 3 0 1 0 Bataille, cf 2 0

Pena, lf-cf 4 0 0 0 Andrade, c 1 0 0

Pina, 2b-ss 4 1 2 0 Mazzolla, ph 2 0 0

Sanchez, p 0 0 0 0 Penberthy, cf 1 0 0

Morillo, lf 3 3 1 0 J.Del Vecchio, 2b 2 0

Ostcchea,cf-p-rf 2 2 1 0 Petrillo, 2b 1 0

Ruiz, pr 0 2 0 0 Szuhany, lf 3 0 0

Skidmore, lf 1 0 0 0

Totals 33 12 14 12 Totals 32 8 9 7

Falcon, Venezuela 003 440 1-12

Bloomfield, N.J. 302 002 1-8

E-Cuba, Pina; Miller 2, Petrillo, J. Del Vecchio; LOB-Venezuela 6, Bloomfield 8; 2B-Garcia 3; Chiaravallotti, Bataille, Mazzolla, Szuhany; 3B-Garcia; HR-Monroig; SF-Mora; SB-Pena, Ruiz; Bataille

Venezuela IP H R ER BB SO

Sanchez 1 2 3 3 2 1

Osteicoechea (W, 1-0) 5 6 4 2 1 4

Mora 1 1 1 0 1 0

Bloomfield, N.J. IP H R ER BB SO

Delli Paoli 3 5 5 5 2 0

Chiaravalloti (L, 0-1) 4 9 7 6 1 1

HBP-Osteicoechea (by Delli Paoli), Osteicoechea (by Chiaravalloti); Chiaravalloti (by Sanchez); WP-Delli Paoli; BK-Sanchez; PB-Garcia; T-2:33; ATT-650