Panama advanced to the Super Round by defeating Mexico 6 runs to 2, in their last game of the regular round of Group A at the U18 Baseball Pre-World Championship held in Ciudad La Paz, Baja California Sur in Mexico.
Right-hander Luis Aguilar pitched 4.1 innings and teammate Carlos Diaz pitched 2.2 innings to limit the Mexican offense to just 4 hits and 7 strikeouts.
Aguilar allowed 4 hits, striking out 5, with no walks and 2 runs, both earned, for the win.
Ángel Rodríguez went 3-2 with RBI, walk and two runs scored, Derek Pinto 4-2 with a run scored and Yeremi Lezcano 3-2, to be the best in Panama in a 7-hit attack.
Panama made one run in the first, another in the second, 3 in the third and one more in the fifth to close their production. Panama ends the regular round with a 2-1 mark and awaits the result of Cuba vs. Nicaragua to define its classification position.
The best three from each group advance to the Super Round, Panama and Mexico are already qualified and are still looking for one of the four spots on the way to the 2023 U18 World Cup.
