WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Nate Colina caught a liner to the mound to pick up the final out with the bases loaded as Canada escaped with a 6-4 win over Mexico at the Little League World Series on Monday.
Kai Sheck led the way for Canada with a bases-clearing triple in the second inning, while Dio Gama and Jordan Jaramillo both had two hits and an RBI. Colina also had a single and an RBI.
Fernando Lopez had a home run and three RBI for Mexico. Axel Morales added a hit and an RBI.
Ian Huang started for Canada, tossing 4 1/3 innings and five strikeouts for the win. He gave up three walks, five hits and two earned runs.
Angel Martinez answered for Mexico, allowing three earned runs in 1 1/3 innings to pick up the loss.
Cole Balkovec struck out Mexico's Erick Serrano at the bottom of the sixth, before issue back-to-back walks to Remigio Quintanilla and Morales.
Colina replaced Balkovec and induced a line-out from Alberto Gomez.
Colina walked Carlos Garza to load the bases, but Gael Ponce smacked a ball right at Colina, who snagged it just before it hit the mound to end the game.
Canada is slated to play Puerto Rico on Tuesday.
Canada got on the board in the first when Colina hit a line drive to right field that scored Andre Juco. Gama then brought home Sheck on a hard ground ball to center field.
The squad from Surrey, B.C., cracked the game wide open in the second when Sheck hit a triple on a fly ball to Serrano in right field that plated Jaramillo Colina and Huang.
Morales responded for Mexico in the bottom of the inning, singling home Serrano.
Jaramillo stretched the lead to 6-1 on ground-ball double to left field in the third, which allowed Gama to make it home.
Lopez made it a two-run game in the third with one swing off Huang, plating Garza and Ponce.
Mexico was also pressing in the bottom of the fourth with a runner on first and second and one out. But Huang induced a fly-out from Garza, and Colina made a nice play on a fielder's choice to end the inning.
The Canadian Press