SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - Those who thought the Rolando
Paulino team from the Bronx was a one-man show got their answer
Monday.
|  | | Bronx, N.Y.'s Rolando Torres watches his two-run home run during the fourth inning against Iowa on Monday. |
Luilly Vinas pitched a three-hitter as the New York team beat
Davenport (Iowa) East 7-4 at the Little League World Series.
Vinas' effort followed Danny Almonte's perfect game in the
Bronx's opener against Apopka, Fla.
Tommy Guzman hit a two-run double and Rolando Torres hit a
two-run homer in the fourth inning for the Bronx, and Vinas, who
was perfect in the first three innings, struck out all three Iowa
batters in the sixth to secure the win.
"I don't think there's a team out there that's tougher than us,
because we do our best and we have good pitching," Guzman said,
making manager Alberto Gonzalez cringe.
Guzman's double, a line drive to left center, scored Santo
Sierra and Johnelvis Ortiz, making it 5-2. Torres then hit a high
arcing shot over the left field wall, increasing the lead to 7-2.
"He threw it right down the inside, and I just hit it," Torres
said.
The outburst was a surprise to Davenport East manager Matt
Kolar, who had pictured the Bronx as a defensive team. The Bronx
had only two hits in its first series win and two hits in the
Mid-Atlantic Region championship game.
"They hit the ball better than I thought, because they hadn't
hit it before," Kolar said.
Bronx (2-0) tied the score 2-2 in the fourth when Carlos Garcia
scored on an error. As Garcia slid into home, catcher Dustin
Nickels dropped the ball. Sierra reached base on the play, and
Vinas advanced to third.
Davenport East pitcher Willie Argo walked Ortiz to load the
bases, and all three runners advance on a passed ball, scoring
Vinas and giving Bronx a 3-2 lead.
Another apparent run, Almonte's steal of home, was disallowed
because the runner at first left base early.
Davenport East (0-2) scored two runs in the fifth on a Shane
White single and an error, making it 7-4.
"We didn't hit the ball as well as I hoped we would," Kolar
said. "That guy was just throwing fastballs, and we were a little
late. I was a little disappointed that we didn't get around on him
better."
Davenport East took a 2-1 lead in the fourth when Argo's home
run bounced off the stone case that houses the bust of Howard
Lamade, former Little League board member for whom the stadium is
named. The drive scored White, who had walked and advanced on a
passed ball.
Despite trailing, Gonzalez said his players weren't concerned.
"We knew we had a good pitcher on the mound, and we knew if we
kept the ball low, our defense would take care of us," Gonzalez
said.
Bronx took a 1-0 lead in the first when Guzman scored on a wild
pitch.
The game originally was scheduled for Sunday night, but was
postponed by rain.
Mexico 6, Canada 5
Pedro Rodriguez's sixth-inning RBI single broke a tie as Mexico
rallied from a 5-0 deficit.
Canada (1-1) took a 1-0 lead in the first on Jesse Sawyer's home
run and increased it to 4-0 in the second on Michael Dusessoy's
three-run homer.
Ciro Castillo had an RBI single in the third for Mexico (1-1)
and Francisco Castilleja hit a two-run homer in the fourth, cutting
the deficit to 5-3. Castillo also hit a two-run homer in the fifth,
tying the score.
Louisiana 5, Rhode Island 2
Jack Hart had 10 strikeouts and Myrio Richard scored two runs, leading South Lake Charles, La., to victory.
Lake Charles (1-2) took a 4-0 lead in the fourth, scoring twice
on passed balls and twice on wild pitches.
Tom Coulombe drove in both runs for Lincoln (0-3) with a single
in the fifth.
Guam 5, Russia 0
Derwin Aguon hit two two-run homers to back Kurt Diaz's three-hitter.
Guam (2-0) took a 1-0 lead in the second when Diaz singled and scored on Aaron Sanchez's double. Aguon then hit his first homer.
Russia (0-2) loaded the bases in the fourth with no outs, but Diaz ended the threat with two strikeouts and a pop-up.
Sanchez singled in the fifth before Aguon hit his second homer. Diaz struck out eight.
Indiana 2, California 1
T.J. Baumet's RBI-double tied the game in the top of the sixth, then he scored the winning run on a single by Brady Dowell and Brownsburg, Ind. beat Oceanside, Calif. 2-1.
Oceanside's Taylor DeMille had a no-hitter through the fifth inning, but gave up a single to Jeff King to open the sixth.
After King advanced on a fielder's choice, Baumet doubled to make it 1-1. He advanced to third on an error and scored on Dowell's chopper to third.
Baumet then moved from shortstop to pitcher and retiring the side in order.
With the win, Brownsburg (3-0) took first place in Pool A and will play in Wednesday night's U.S. semifinal. Oceanside (2-1) will play in the Thursday night semifinal. Their opponent from Pool B had not been determined.
Oceanside went ahead 1-0 in the fourth inning when Johnny Jimenez, who had doubled, scored on a fielder's choice.
Panama 6, Japan 1
Otto Castillo hit a first-inning home run and struck out 11 to lead Santiago, Veraguas, Panama to a 6-1 victory over Tokyo, Japan.
Panama (2-0) took a 3-0 lead in the first when Issac Forero doubled and Luis Quintero hit a two-run homer. Castillo then hit his homer.
The loss dropped Japan to 0-2 in the tournament.
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