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Familiar territory: Curacao once again in International final after beating Mexico

By HENRY HUBER 5 min read

Curacao may have entered the bottom of the sixth with newfound momentum and cushion, but that by no means ensured its victory.

A three-run deficit heading into the last three outs is typically a a hefty mountain to climb at the Little League level, even for a team like Mexico that had won ten straight elimination games leading up to Thursday. It may have grown used to having its back against the wall, but against a defense as scrappy and consistent as Curacao's, three outs didn't seem like enough to mount a comeback.

That was the thought process for most in attendance heading into the half. But a few plays into it, that logic started to dwindle a bit.

Curacao came up with the momentum it needed en route to a 4-2 win at Lamade Stadium on Thursday over Mexico to secure a spot in the International championship for a second straight year.

Facing an 0-2 count, Mexico's Jorge Cota hit a grounder into infield, a play that would routinely end in a groundout to first. But an error allowed Cota to just barely reach first safe and a full-count walk the next at-bat put the tying run on base.

Though relieving pitcher Jay-Dlynn Wiel - who Curacao has consistently trusted on the mound in situations like this – was able to pull off a clutch, full-count strikeout to stifle Mexico's momentum, his pitch count reached 35, which meant he'd have to be subbed out for him to be available on Saturday.

When asked what was going through his mind at that moment, Curacao manager Zaino Everett jokingly mentioned last year. The team had previously exhausted most of its bullpen in pursuit of a spot World Series championship and unfortunately that had ultimately played a big role in its loss to Hawai'i there.

Everett had a plan for this exact scenario, and in stepped Shemar Sophia Jacobus to close out the game for the team.

"I talked with Shemar and asked, 'do you have two outs in you?' and he told me 'Yes,'," said Everett. "I gave him the ball to go do the job and now we're here."

He was Everett's first choice to finish the job and his manager trusted him through the half's entirety, even after his first at-bat was a single to load the bases for Mexico and its lineup reset. It just needed to pick up two more outs before it gave up three runs, but one bad pitch could have spelt doom for the team, with the game-winning run on base.

However, despite the situation, Jacobus was unfazed, completely locked in on getting his team to the international title.

"I was just thinking of throwing strikes," said Jacobus. "I wasn't trying to overpower or anything. I was just saying in my head, 'I have to keep the velocity up and keep the ball in the zone,' so even if they hit, they get grounded out."

He trusted his defense to back him up if need be and on the next at-bat, it came through. When Mexico's Jorge Lizarraga - who batted first for the team - hit a ground ball into the infield, second basemen Alexander Provacia Roach effectively fielded the ball and made a smart decision, opting to throw to first to secure the second out instead of risking an error by throwing it to home.

Then came the pitcher's defining moment. With two runners in scoring position and facing a 3-2 count, Jacobus nailed the inside of Jonathan Juarez's strike zone and caught him looking to secure the game-ending strikeout. Each of his and Wiel's final strikeouts were vital in keeping Mexico at bay down the stretch there.

"I trust those guys. I'm very confident when those guys are throwing," said Everett on Wiel and Jacobus. "They just have to throw strikes. They are really good players and they had to step up for the team. You have to step up. I'm very happy for them."

Despite entering the bottom of the sixth down 4-1, Mexico played an incredible game, especially defensively leading up to the sixth. Jonathan Juarez pitched 5.2 innings from the mound, striking out eight batters and allowing three hits and a walk. Shortstop Bernardo Partida - who pitched a complete game in their previous matchup - was electric and consistent, pulling off clutch putouts left and right.

Unfortunately, after tagging a runner on his way to first and intentionally walking Jay-Dlynn Wiel, Juarez hit his pitch limit. His relievers struggled to hold down the fort and Curaçao was finally able to break through.

"Partida is a great shortstop. They have a solid team," said Everett when asked about Mexico. "Juarez was just throwing the ball and like always, they mix their pitches. We just had to keep taking and taking to pick up the lead."

It's been a long road there, but Curacao now has the chance to go beyond last year's runner-up finish if it can win just two more games. That's obviously easier said than done, but Everett is very proud of his team, nonetheless.

"I'm just very happy with these guys to play a big game and to go back to the (International) finals," said Everett. "That's the game of Little League. You just have to score runs. We scored four runs that was enough for us to win the game."

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