By AMANDA VOGT The Associated Press
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Hitting with the bases loaded at the Little League World Series, Samuel Castillo found the gap between left and center field. Two runs scored and Venezuela’s lead over Puerto Rico grew to 3-0.
Above the team dugout, spectators in a fan section that barely filled three rows raised one of the few Venezuelan flags in Volunteer Stadium.
It took a lot for Venezuela to get here, but on Wednesday, its team made the playing baseball part of the journey look easy. Cardenales Little League from Barquisimeto went on to shut out Puerto Rico, 5-0.
Cardenales won all five of its regional tournament games, outscoring opponents 46-6 to become the Latin America representative to the LLWS. But in the wake of President Donald Trump’s travel bans and restrictions affecting 19 countries, the team needed a special exemption from the U.S. State Department and a sign-off from Secretary of State Marco Rubio after visas were initially denied.
Venezuela’s senior team, players who are up to 16 years old, which was supposed to compete in Easley, South Carolina, last month was unable to get the exemption and was denied entry to the United States.
“They were working their way through applying for the exemption,” Little League president and CEO Patrick Wilson said in a news conference before Wednesday’s game. “We ran out of time, just candidly.”
Wilson said there were close to 10 days for Venezuela’s Williamsport team to get approved, which was “more lead time” than the senior team. They were notified of the approval last Thursday.
This isn’t the first time visa snarls have been an issue at the tournament. In 2011, Uganda’s visa applications were denied and Saudi Arabia, the regional runner-up, played instead.
“We’ll do our best to have conversations with the great folks at the State Department that help us out in an effort to, whether we have to adjust lead times or whatever we can do, to ensure that all teams can participate and enjoy the Little League experience, whether that’s at the Little League level, junior, senior, softball, whatever it takes,” Wilson said.
Venezuelan players traveled to the United States without their families – parents couldn’t get visas – but the coaches of last year’s team that made it to the international final were among the few fans from back home sitting proudly in the stands above the dugout. Euclides and Ender Rivero only had to renew their visas which, they explained through an interpreter, was a much easier process.
Maria Lewis sat just a few seats away from the Riveros holding one of the country’s flags and wearing the Latin America team shirt. She’s Venezuelan and lives only an hour away from Williamsport.
“I’ve been praying for them to come,” Lewis said. “I’m very pleased that (their visas were) granted, because these are 12-year-olds that deserve to play their game.”
She comes to Volunteer Stadium every year when a team from Venezuela plays.
“I’m just here like a team mom, honorary team mom, so that they can feel supported, that they have people behind them,” Lewis said.
Manager Luis Bermudez said the team has been keeping in touch with those 2,204 miles away in Barquisimeto through their smartphones, and he’s grateful to the fans Venezuela did have in the stands.
“We’re very happy we have all their support,” he said through an interpreter.
On Friday, Venezuela will play Canada.
“I’m so happy to be here,” Francisco Rivero, who scored twice on Wednesday, said after the win. “It’s a great feeling.”
PITCHERS’ DUEL
Connecticut pitcher Luca Pellegrini outdueled Texas pitcher Shane Grawe, throwing a complete game one-hitter with one walk and 11 strikeouts as the Metro Region champs edged the Southwest Region champs, 1-0, in another opener.
Neither pitcher allowed a hit through the first four innings.
The first hit of the game came in the fifth inning when Connecticut catcher Jimmy Taxiltaridis hit a leadoff double, though he was thrown out attempting to get back to third base after a walk by Dante Madera, who aggressively advanced to second base to draw a throw.
Connecticut scored the lone run of the game one batter later when Ben Herbst singled to center field to score Madera.
Texas responded with its first base runner of the game in the bottom half of the inning thanks to a leadoff double by shortstop Lucas Sontag, but Pellegrini proceeded by striking out the next three batters.
In the bottom of the seventh inning with a pitch count in the 60s, Pellegrini walked the Texas leadoff batter, who advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt. Pellegrini then induced a come-backer for a ground ball out, making it two outs with a runner on third.
After hitting the following batter with a pitch, Pellegrini’s 11th strikeout sealed the victory, stranding the trying run at third and the winning run at first.
ANOTHER GIRL TAKES THE FIELD AT LLWS
Monica Arcuri became the 24th girl to play in the Little League World Series on Wednesday when her Australia club played Panama.
She started at first and rounded out the lineup for the team from Brisbane. This tournament also features the fifth female coach and a female umpire, Traci Duez, who was at second base for the Panama-Australia game. The Little League Softball World Series concluded last week with record viewership.
“For a young lady whether she chooses to play softball or baseball, we want her to have those choices, you know, and if she switches at a certain point, that’s OK, too,” Wilson said. “We just want her to participate.”