For the 10th time in its nation’s history, a team from Panama will be heading to the Little League Baseball® World Series as Vacamonte Little League from Arraijan, Panama, won the 2018 Little League Baseball Latin America Region Tournament.
The Vacamonte Little League offense opened the tournament on fire, outscoring its opponents 35-3 over the first three games before taking home a 5-4 victory over Venezuela. Following a 6-3 win over Nicaragua, Vacamonte Little League lost its only game of the tournament, 8-0, to fellow Panamanians, Aguadulce Cabezera Little League. The team bounced back in the semifinals, defeating Aguadulce Cabezera Little League, 2-0, in a rematch to earn a spot in the championship against Rivas Little League from Nicaragua. That momentum was all Vacamonte Little League needed to cap off a 7-1 record with a 6-3 victory over Rivas Little League in the championship game.
This will be the first time that Vacamonte Little League makes a trip to the Little League Baseball World Series and the 10th time a team from Panama heads to Williamsport. Panama, along with Canada, has the distinction of being the first country outside of the United States to charter a Little League program. In 1950, two leagues were formed in the country, one on each side of the Panama Canal. A team from Panama has never won the Little League Baseball World Series.
Vacamonte Little League will open the 2018 Little League Baseball World Series with a first-round matchup against the Canada Region on Friday, August 17, at 6 p.m. in Volunteer Stadium on ESPN. Spanning the course of 10 days, 32 games will be played in the 2018 Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport, culminating in the Championship Game, which is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Sunday, August 26. For more information on the 2018 Little League Baseball World Series, visit LittleLeague.org.