MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Matamoros, Mexico pitcher Antonio Guerrero delivers a pitch in the first inning at Volunteer Stadium against Aruba on Wednesday.

It took Mexico starting pitcher Antonio Guerrero just one batter to set the tone in Wednesday’s series opener, striking out Aruba leadoff batter Isaac Arendsz in just three pitches while displaying strong pitch velocity and excellent pitch placement.

On the day, he’d play a key role in the team advancing through a tough defensive battle, one where every run counted. On top of shutting out Aruba through five innings, he never allowed their opponent to build meaningful momentum, posting the 66th no hitter in Little League World Series history and issuing just three walks.

“All year, Antonio has been the No. 1 pitcher for us,” said Mexico manager Jorge Villafranca through an interpreter on his ace pitcher.

Both he and Aruba starting pitcher Naivmar Angela retired the side to start, but it was Guerrero that would stand out from there. Even with the nerves of playing in front of a crowd of over 6,000 people coming into play early on, his play rarely reflected that.

Through his first three innings from the mound, he’d post the occasional slipup, issuing a walk in the second and third to allow Aruba to find some offensive momentum. But in both scenarios, he’d respond with a strikeout, the latter which kicked off a stretch where he struck out eight in a row.

“The crowd and pitching at the series for the first time (made me nervous at first),” said Mexico starting pitcher Antonio Guerrero. “I was a little nervous in the first inning, but then I started to do well.”

Even as his pitch count approached 85, it seemed like he grew more effective with every inning, with his velocity never really dipping below the 75-78 mph range until late in the fifth. And though he allowed one more walk and held a 3-2 count against the ensuing batter, he forced a groundout to close out the inning – three outs away from a no-hitter.

Even with him needing just three outs to finish the job, closing pitcher Raul Hernandez Jr still faced a lot of pressure, hoping to preserve the no-hitter after his teammate put in so much work to do so. Hernandez did his job though, retiring the side to help his team accomplish the historic feat.

In terms of debuts, Mexico’s pitching room certainly impressed. But it could be tested on Friday, where it’s set face a Venezuela team that scored 87 runs in seven games through its regional.

“It’s going to be a hard game against Venezuela,” said Villafranca. “We’ve got to stay focused and concentrate for the next game.”