Latin American gets first win of series, 4-1

In a two-and-a-half-hour battle under the lights, the defending Senior League Softball World Champions from Latin America started their turn-around against EMEA, after dropping their opener to the Central team out of South Bend, Ind. The ASOFEM Little League team out of Puerto Rico demonstrated why they were the best in the world last year, thanks to strong pitching from Nemesis Vega, who helped seal a 4-1 win on Monday.

Coastal Point • Jesse Pryor
The defending champion Latin America squad celebrates their win over EMEA with a celebration that fits the way their team plays — together.

EMEA started with a shaky delivery from the mound, walking in the first two runs of the game. Bianca Lopez drove home leadoff hitter Lindsay Jones to cut the early lead in half, but Vega kept the pressure on the team from Ramstein, Germany. Diane Rivera brought in another run in the top of the sixth, and Yolanda De Jesus drove in the final score of the game in the seventh inning. Vega finished the game with a two-hitter and five strikeouts.

Jones and Maddie Byrd combined for nine strikeouts against Latin America, but Vega’s delivery from the mound proved to be too much for EMEA’s offense.

For manager Carlos Garcia, defending last year’s title is no simple accomplishment.

“We have seven new girls on the team,” he said through a translator. “We’re still a young team.”

Fortunately for the Puerto Rican team, it’s their power in the center circle of the infield that’s helping the team. In addition to Vega, who was last year’s winning pitcher in the Senior League Softball World Series, they have Dayanne Solivan, who has already demonstrated her talent in the opening game of this year’s series. She joined the team after carrying her Junior League Softball team to the title in Seattle, Wash.

“Our pitchers are the two best ones in the series,” said Garcia. “No other team has two national champion pitchers.”

Having this talent and depth is key, especially when playing lengthy games.

“This game is long,” Garcia noted. “The girls get very tired. But I have the best girls in the World Series.”

The cooler weather in the evening was also a welcome, despite the hot conditions the team is accustomed to back in the Caribbean.

“In Puerto Rico,” said Garcia, “it’s humid, but here it’s very hot. It’s good for my team to play at night.”