BANGOR, Maine — U.S. Central pitcher Zach Verta allowed just three hits and a run in 4⅓ innings to lift the Clear Ridge Little League all-star baseball team from Chicago to an 11-1 victory over Latin America in the Senior League World Series Tuesday at Mansfield Stadium.
The win gave U.S. Central (3-0) a berth in the semifinal round at 5 p.m. Thursday.
Verta walked just one batter and struck out five before Julian Lopez came on to retire the final two batters in the 10-run rule contest.
U.S. Central scored all of the runs it would need in a four-run first inning. Back-to-back singles by Joe Trezek and Verta helped set up the first run as they executed a double steal before Trezek came across on a passed ball.
An infielder error helped account for the next two runs, and Paola Zavala’s line-drive single to right drove in the fourth run.
Trezek finished with a triple, two singles and an RBI to spark U.S. Central, and Verta had two hits.
Ulises Ramirez doubled for Latin America.
In other games, U.S. Southeast champ Dunfries (Virginia) District LL opened the day’s tourney action with a 4-1 victory over Canada titleist Kiwanis National LL of Regina, Saskatchewan, and Asia-Pacific champ, the Southern Mariners of Melbourne, Australia, edged U.S. Southwest winner Capitol Park LL of San Antonio, Texas, 2-1.
Latin America will battle Asia-Pacific at 5 p.m. Wednesday for a berth in the semifinal round, and U.S. Southeast will also vie for a semifinal spot in the 8 p.m. contest when it plays the loser of Tuesday’s late game between U.S. West and Maine District 3.
In Tuesday’s first game, Devin Logsdon and Daniel Hupart each pitched three shutout innings to help U.S. Southeast advance. Logsdon gave up two hits but didn’t walk a batter, and Hupart allowed just a hit and walked one.
Anthony Stehlin came on to earn a save in the seventh after Canada reached Blake Gatewood for a run and two hits.
Carson Arguin paced U.S. Southeast with a double, single and two RBIs. Leadoff hitter Ethan Semones chipped in with three hits and two runs, and Stehlin had two hits.
Adam DeCorby notched two hits for Canada.
In the second game, U.S. Southwest took a 1-0 lead when it scored in the top of the first on Zach Perez’s sacrifice fly. Jalen Battles scored the run after drawing a walk, advancing to second on a walk to Calmyn Holiday and then to third on a wild pitch.
The lead stood up until the bottom of the sixth when Asia-Pacific rallied behind a run-producing infield single by Ciaran Palmer, followed by an infield error that produced the second run.
Luis Galvan turned in a strong pitching effort for U.S. Southwest, allowing just a run and three hit while walking one in 5⅓ innings.