BANGOR – It was a classic pitcher’s duel: flame-thrower vs. finesse pitcher with good movement on his ball.
And it was Bryan National West Little League’s (Tex.) David Williams Jr. who came out on top over the Pabao Little League of Willemstad, Curacao’s Jurickson Profar.
Williams spotted his live fastball effectively and mixed in a sweeping curve to shut out Curacao 3-0 Tuesday afternoon in their Senior League World Series game at Mansfield Stadium.
Bryan National West, the U.S. Southwest champ, is now 2-0 in Pool B play while Latin American titlist Curacao is 1-1.
The 6-foot-5, 255-pound Williams scattered five hits while striking out five and not walking anybody. He threw 61 strikes among his 90 pitches.
Williams also benefited from two diving catches by right fielder Tommy Galvan, who saved at least two runs.
“My fastball worked pretty much the whole game and I threw some curves to keep them off balance,” said Williams.
Profar was equally impressive.
His fastball was clocked at 90 miles-an-hour and he allowed just three hits and one earned run in five innings before he reached the 95-pitch limit and had to come out. He struck out seven, including four straight in one stretch, and walked three.
The righthanders shared a mutual respect.
“He was very good,” said Profar. “He pitched to the corners, which is very good to do. And he had movement on his fastball which is always a plus.”
Williams said Profar was “really good. Hats off to him. He’s one of the best we’ve seen so far.”
Williams broke the scoreless tie in the two-run fourth inning with a run-scoring single.
Arthur Garza walked to open the inning and moved to second on Mike Martinez’s slow roller to second.
Williams then lined an opposite-field single to right off an 0-1 fastball, Bryan’s first hit of the game.
“I was trying to have quick hands and drive it somewhere,” said Williams. “He threw me a low and outside fastball.”
Jacob Sutherland extended the rally with a two-out single and he scored when David Contreras’ fly ball down the right field line was dropped for an error.
Garza scored an insurance run in the sixth when he lined a single to left, stole second and scored on an infield throwing error.
Curacao had a runner on second with one out in the second when Galvan fully extended himself to rob Jonathan Schoop and he turned it into a double play as the runner at second had rounded third.
In the fifth, he broke in on Rigynoel Rondei’s sinking two-out liner and dove to snare it just before it hit the ground. There was a runner on second.
“On the first one, the line drive was tailing away from me so I had to make a sideways grab. On the second one, it hung up just enough for me to get there, dive and put my glove out there,” said Galvan. “You want to leave it all out on the field to help your pitcher out.”
“They used all their [resources] to win the game. That’s the way to play the game,” said Curacao coach Roque Bernadina.
lmahoney@bangordailynews.net
990-8231
U.S. Southwest 3, Latin America 0
U.S. Southwest Latin America
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI
Byer, ss 4 0 0 0 Ignacio, rf 2 0 0
Galvan, rf 2 0 0 0 Rojer, 1b-rf 3 0 0
Garza, cf 2 2 1 0 Moesquit, 2b-3b 3 0 0
Martinez, 1b 2 0 0 0 Celestyn, cf 2 0 0
Williams, p 3 0 1 1 Bishop, cf 1 0 0
Spivey, pr 0 0 0 0 Leondra, 3b-2b 3 0 0
Sutherland, lf 3 1 1 0 Profar, p-ss 3 0
Contreras, 3b 3 0 0 0 Doran, lf 3 0
Longoria, 2b 3 0 0 0 Schoop, ss-p 2 0 0
Perez, c 3 0 0 0 Rondei, c 2 0 0
Vasquez 0 0 0 0 Garia, 1b 1 0 0
Totals 25 3 3 1 Totals 25 0 5 0
U.S. Southwest 000 201 0 – 3
Latin America 000 000 0 – 0
E-Ignacio, Leondra; LOB-U.S. Southwest 4; Latin America 4; DP-U.S. Southwest 1; SB-Garza, Profar
U.S. Southwest IP H R ER BB SO
Williams 7 5 0 0 0 5
Latin America IP H R ER BB SO
Profar 5 3 3 1 3 7
Schoop 2 0 0 0 0 1
BK-Williams; Profar; T-2:00; ATT-600
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