At the South American Youth Baseball Games Panama Wins the Gold Medal

Pitcher Abel Rodriguez threw a one-hit ballgame and Luis Aranda hit a two-run home run to help Panama beat Colombia 2-0 and take the gold medal in the baseball final of the 2026 South American Youth Games, at the Juan Demóstenes Arosemena stadium. 

Abel Rodríguez Above Pitched a Fantastic Game in the Final

Rodríguez pitched seven complete innings, allowing only one hit and striking out six to secure the victory for the Colombian team. The loss went to Henry Carrillo, who pitched four innings.  The team was helped with a two-run home run by Aranda in the bottom of the third inning to put Panama on the scoreboard and eventually win the game.  “This is an important victory; it was to achieve our goal. The coach told us we had to go for it from the first quarter. I’m grateful to the fans who came to support us; they filled us with encouragement,” Aranda said after the game.  “We brought the gold to Panama and we are proud of that,” he added. 

Luis Aranda Above Hit the 2 Run Homer in the Bottom of the Third Inning

Luis the catcher, MVP of the last youth championship, went 2-for-1 with a home run, two RBIs, and a run scored in this game. Jesús Arosemena also had a standout performance, going 2-for-3.  “The job was done. In the regular season we went undefeated, winning every game. But the final is different and the boys knew we had to be patient, and we achieved our goal, which was the gold medal,” said Adolfo Rivera, Panama’s coach.  The game could not have ended better, with an electrifying double play, scored 4-6-3, to put an end to it.  Panama finished with a perfect record of six wins in six games. They also defeated Colombia twice; the first time (10-2) was on Wednesday in the penultimate round of the regular season. They reached the final after beating Brazil 6-3 on Friday.  For its part, Curacao won the bronze medal by beating the Brazilians 14-0.

Baseball Tournament Sets Its Finalists: National Pre-Infant

The National Pre-Infant Little League Baseball Tournament has determined its finalists after the semifinal round set up a best-of-three championship series. The winning teams from the semifinals now move on to compete for the title in a format that will reward consistency over multiple games.  Little League tournaments remain an important part of Panama’s youth sports calendar, giving young players a competitive stage and families a focal point for community support.

A best-of-three final also raises the stakes, since the champion will need to perform well across several games rather than relying on a single result.  The championship series will decide the national pre-infant baseball winner, with the finalists now preparing for the final round. For many young athletes, reaching this stage is a milestone that reflects teamwork, development, and the growing profile of grassroots baseball in Panama.