default header
24 August 2006
U.S. Trip a Dream Come True for Venezuelan Little Leaguers
Gamesmanship only part of the total experience for young baseball players
Williamsport, Pennsylvania -- To start from the Cardenales Little League in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, and arrive at the 60th Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, was not just a tremendous journey but a marvelous achievement as well for the young baseball players.
Then again, the Venezuelan players who made it all the way to the World Series were following a proud tradition for their country. Teams from Zulia in 2003 and from Valencia in 2002 also competed in the series. And two Venezuelan teams from Maracaibo were crowned Little League world champions in 1994 and 2000. Before that, Venezuelan teams from Maracaibo played in World Series once in the 1960s, twice in the 1970s and four times in the 1980s.
The Little League World Series has been held in Williamsport annually since 1947. Teams of boys and girls ages 9 to 12 (and also those who become 13 after April 30 of that year) from 74 countries and territories compete in tournaments to determine the 16 quarter-finalists. Those 16 teams are divided into two groups of eight: United States and International. The two divisions are further subdivided into two "pools" each. Each of the four pools has teams representing four regions. International Pool C contains teams that have won the Pacific, Latin American, Transatlantic and Canadian tournaments. Pool D has teams representing Mexico, Asia, the Caribbean and Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Pools A and B contain U.S. teams from four U.S. regions each.
Once in Williamsport, each team plays all three other teams in its pool. Then the two teams with the best record in each pool advance to the next round of competition, with U.S. and international teams remaining separate. In a single-elimination process, the championship game features the winning U.S. team against the successful international team.
The Barquisimeto players got to Williamsport by displaying true grit and fortitude, having been defeated once at each tournament they participated in along the way. Only two of the other 15 teams playing in the 2006 series played and won more games in tournament action than Venezuela. Not only did they win 16 of 19 times, but they held their opponent scoreless three times, to just one run in two other games and to two runs on three occasions.
The play schedule allowed just enough time between games for the players to appreciate their surroundings. Wrauner Sanchez, a 12-year-old outfielder, said his first experience of the United States was "very nice. It's very exciting for me to be here."
Outfielder Gianfranco Presenza, 13, is a first-year Little Leaguer. He said he found the United States to be very pretty, with many tourist attractions. It has everything from great bridges to lakes and oceans, he added.
Venezuela began series play on August 19 against the 2006 Pacific champions from Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands. In a crisp and well-played game featuring excellent pitching and defense, the teams were scoreless after seven-and-a-half innings.
The game was suspended when it threatened to conflict with another game, but resumed at 10 a.m. on August 21. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Venezuela's Roberto Valera made a one-base hit to drive in Jordy Freitez with the game's only run. For the winners Manuel Barrios had pitched six innings, allowing just four hits while striking out 16.
That same evening Venezuela defeated the team from British Columbia, Canada, 3-2. Valera pitched the complete-game victory, striking out nine. He also batted in all three runs -- two via a home run in the first inning -- to give Barquisimeto a lead it did not relinquish.
Prior to the August 22 game, Barrios, 13, said how impressed he was by "the pretty girls, the pretty mountains, and the beautiful championship trophy."
Venezuela played the champions of the Trans-Atlantic Division, the Arabian-American Little Leaguers from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, in a twilight game August 22. Once again, the game lasted eight innings, and again Venezuela won, 1-0.
Before the game against the Saudi youngsters Jeferson Piña, who plays second base and occasionally in left field, said the United States is both pretty and tourist-friendly. "Very impressive," he commented.
Unfortunately for the Barquisimeto players, the victory against Saudi Arabia was the extent of their success. On August 23, a powerhouse club from Matamoros, Mexico, ended Venezuela's season by winning 11-0, hitting three home runs in the process.
Their loss was compensated in some measure by their long successful streak and by their first-ever trip to North America.
For more information on athletics in the United States, see Sports.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
