What Happened
The 50th edition of the Campeonato Nacional de Béisbol Infantil will be decided in a third and decisive game after a marathon Thursday at Estadio de Caplitom in Juan Díaz. Panamá Oeste and Chiriquí split a doubleheader that lasted 14 innings and six hours of play, leaving the final series tied and a winner to be crowned this Friday at 9:00 a.m.
Game 1: Late Drama Gives Panamá Oeste Victory
The opening game was a pitching duel that remained scoreless through six innings. Alams Rodríguez started strongly for the “vaqueritos” (Panamá Oeste), working 4.2 innings, while Josué Hernández threw a complete six-inning game without allowing a run.
The deadlock was broken in the seventh with the automatic runner rule. Chiriquí went ahead 1-0 when Ianne Salcedo scored, but Panamá Oeste quickly levelled through Héctor Suira. The eighth inning brought a dramatic finish: after Edgar Villarreal struck out, a passed ball allowed him to reach base and Thiago De Gracia scored from third to put Oeste ahead. Lucas Gutiérrez then delivered an RBI single to center that brought in Gael Hurtado and Javier Materón, sealing a 3-2 win for the Pequeñas Ligas de Barrio Colón.
Game 2: Offensive Onslaught Gives Chiriquí the Split
With little time between games—about 30 minutes—both teams returned for a far different contest, one defined by offense. Chiriquí struck early as Lucas Olmos hit a two-run homer in the first inning. Panamá Oeste answered in the bottom half when Wyatt Rose drove in Javier Naterón with the bases loaded, and Nehemías Allen pushed in another run for Oeste.
Controversy marked the second inning when an out was not called on a play, but Panamá Oeste manufactured four runs in that frame to take a 6-2 lead. Chiriquí then mounted a powerful response in the top of the third, scoring five runs with contributions from Ianne Salcedo, Obed Fuentes, Bryan Quintero, Josué Hernández and Lucas Olmos to take control. Panamá Oeste tied it at 7-7 later in the third, but Chiriquí regained the lead for good in the fifth, and the defense held in the sixth to secure the victory.
Jhadier Rivera earned the win after relieving in the second inning and working 3.2 scoreless innings aside from a triple by Jennerick Osorio. Lucas Gutiérrez took the loss despite four strong innings in relief. Offensively, Lucas Olmos finished with two RBIs while Obed Fuentes had two hits and two runs scored.
Background and What This Means
The split sets up a winner-take-all showdown Friday morning at Caplitom. Chiriquí director Edwin del Cid praised his team’s capacity to rebound quickly after losing the first game, noting they focused on lifting spirits during the short break and benefited from prior preparation, including tune-up games against preintermediate teams to face higher-velocity pitching.
The decisive contest will crown the champion of the national youth tournament’s golden anniversary and will test the depth, pitching and resilience of both squads after an exhausting doubleheader.