Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico move on in the 2019 Mustang-9 World Series after a 9-3 victory over hosts Walnut, California.

Jose Ahumada opened the scoring for Mexico with a single to center field allowing Marcos Castro to score from second. Following a single from Kevin Castro, Brayan Armenta drove in another run on a ground out to first base and Sergio Flores singled to right field for a 3-0 lead.

After shutting out the hosts in the bottom of the first inning, Mexico added another run in the second inning on Kevin Castro’s single to second base. However Walnut would not be denied in the second inning as Steven Barela’s single to center field brought in his team’s first run of the game. Benjamin Garcia followed that up with a single to second base to cut the Guasave lead to 5-2.

Guasave continued to pull away in the fourth inning, when William Carrasco’s ground out to second base allowed Alan Obeso to score for a 6-2 lead. The hosts cut into the lead once again by way of a hustle play from Elijah Luc, who scored on a passed ball.

This comeback attempt would be stopped in its tracks, however, as Mexico pulled away yet again in the top of the fifth inning. Antonio Valenzuela’s double to left field brought in Kevin Castro. Bruno Castro continued the momentum with a two-out single to left field, bringing in a run for an 8-3 lead. Mexico added their ninth run on a ground out to third base from Carrasco, who then proceeded to strike out three of the next four batters he faced on the mound to finish off the game.

Kevin Castro finished the game with three hits and two RBIs for Mexico, followed by William Carrasco, who also finished with three RBIs. Carrasco also struck out three on the mound in his closing appearance. Micah Welch finished the day with three strikeouts for the hosts, while Steven Barela and Benjamin Garcia both finished 1-for-2 at the plate with one RBI.

With the win, Mexico moves on to play Long Beach, California in the next round with a place in the championship game on the line. Because Long Beach has not lost yet in the tournament, Mexico would need to win two games against the Californians to advance to the championship game. The hosts exit the tournament with a record of 1-2.