Aug 10, 2025 4 min read

By Joe Tuscano

For the Observer-Reporter

newsroom@observer-reporter.com

It was the first inning of the first game ever played in the Pony League World Series and things could not have gone better for Barranquilla, Colombia. Edwin Ballesta had just crushed a grand slam home run over the centerfield fence to give Colombia a 4-0 lead.

But Corpus Christi scored 12 of the next 14 runs to take a 12-6 victory Sunday at Lew Hays Pony League Field in Washington Park.

The victory sends Corpus Christi, the South Zone champion, against World Series Host Washington in a winners’ bracket game tonight at 7 p.m. Colombia, the Caribbean Zone champion, plays Asia Pacific Zone champion Chinese Taipei at 10 a.m. in an elimination game.

Colombia pitching was touched up for 12 runs and 13 hits. The big blast came off the bat of Gabriel Trevino, who lashed a three-run home run to cap a seven-run fourth inning for Corpus Christi.

“It was a fastball,” Trevino said. “I thought it was going to keep going down. I was 100 percent confident we were going to win after that.”

Trevino said that was his fourth home run in the postseason.

Corpus Christi manager Andres Rodriguez was also confident his team could overcome the first inning doldrums.

“I wasn’t nervous,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve been through this before. Other guys got on base for him to hit the home run.”

Rodriguez said the biggest deficit his team has overcome was six runs in the tournaments.

“We have come back before,” Rodriguez said. “We kept our composure. We’ve been down in the first inning but came back. We were chipping our way back and got that big inning.”

Another turning point came in the Corpus Christi half of the third inning when assistant coach Oscar Cavazos came into the dugout after the team left Josh Garcia stranded at third base with no one out.

Cavazos came into the dugout and dressed down the Corpus Christi players for not bringing Garcia home.

“That got them going,” Rodriguez said.

JJ De Los Santos went 3-for-3 for Corpus Christi, extending his hit streak to eight. Garcia went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs. Nathan Torres went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. JD Carvajal went 1-for-3 and knocked in two.

For Colombia, Lucas Ficher and Luis Avila each had two hits.

Chinese Taipei 14, Bronx N.Y. 2:

In the second game of the day, Chinese Taipei cruised past the Bronx, N.Y., 14-2, to stave off elimination.

Chinese Taipei led 9-0 after the top of the sixth and scored five more insurance runs in the seventh.

Chieh-Yu Sung got it started with an RBI single in the first and Yi-Le Li followed with a two-run double to make it 3-0.

Zi-Han Yang added a two RBI double and Tang-You Zhang had a sacrifice fly in the fourth and the lead swelled to 7-0.

Zi-Hao Quan doubled home a run in the sixth and Chinese Taipei got another run on an error.

The Bronx got both of its runs in the bottom of the sixth on an Anthony Basilio RBI double and an error.

Bay County, Mich. 12, Italy 3:

Bay County, Mich. fell behind early, but ended up pulling away for a 12-3 victory over Italy in the nightcap.

After picking up its first win, Bay County will play in another elimination game against South Hills at 12:30 p.m. today.

Italy led 3-2 after four innings, but Kwess Mathews laid down a bunt with Landon Deford on second base and the throw to first got away allowing Deford to score and tie the game.

Deford gave Bay County the lead with an RBI infield single in a two-run fifth. Brady Irrer drew a bases loaded walk.

Bay County scored two more in the sixth on a pair of errors by Italy on the same play, which made it 7-3.

Five more came across for Bay County in the seventh, mainly on walks.

Leonardo Faccincani had an RBI double for Italy, which went 0-2 in its first visit to the Pony League World Series.