| | Associated Press
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Alí Castillo's two-run, two-out single in the bottom of the sixth lifted Maracaibo, Venezuela, to a 5-4 victory over Toronto at the Little League World Series Tuesday.
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VENEZUELA 5, CANADA 4
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R |
H |
E |
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Canada
Venezuela |
4
5 |
9
6 |
0
2 |
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Alí Castillo won it with a two-run, two-out single in the bottom of the sixth. |
Castillo's hit in Maracaibo's final at-bat sailed just out of the reach of Toronto center fielder Greg Chong, who tried for an over-the-head catch.
Rubén Mavaréz hit a two-run homer and Juan Figueroa had a solo shot for Maracaibo, which improved to 2-1 and remained in contention to reach Thursday's International Pool final.
Toronto squandered 3-0 and 4-3 leads, dropping to 0-2 and out of championship- game contention.
While Chong was being consoled by a teammate in center, the Venezuelans celebrated at home plate as Roy Refungol and Junior Valero scored the tying and winning runs.
Refungol reached base on a single and Valero on a fielder's choice. Both advanced a base on Larry Gonzalez's sacrifice fly to right.
Valero, in relief of starter Manuel Castellano got the win, allowing one unearned run over three innings.
Toronto starter Ozzie Díaz took the loss, giving up five runs on six hits.
Aaron Cabral had a homer and scored twice for Toronto, which wraps up Series play Wednesday against Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
After Toronto blew a 3-0 lead in the third, Julian Olibera put the Canadians back ahead, scoring on a three-base error in the fifth inning.
Toronto, charged up by its failed six-run, sixth-inning comeback in a 9-8 loss to Tokyo a day earlier, came out swinging as promised. So did Maracaibo.
After stranding 14 base runners in its first two games, Venezuela finally got some clutch hits.
Toronto scored just five pitches into the game. Derek Patskou sent Casetellano's first pitch to deep center for a double, and Cabral hit a 3-1 pitch an estimated 219 feet over the left-field wall.
The Canadians added another run in the third when Cabral scored on a wild pitch.
Maracaibo tied the game with a three-run third.
Following Elvis León's leadoff walk, Mavaréz homered to left-center, and two outs later Figueroa hit a solo homer to left.
Three other games were scheduled. Vancouver, Wash., (1-0) faces Goffstown, N.H. (0-2); Dharhan (0-1) plays Tokyo (2-0); and Bellaire, Texas (1-1) plays Davenport, Iowa (1-0) at 8 p.m.
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