Little League World Series 2012 Scores: West and Mexico Prove They're Contenders

The West and Mexico may be battling through the loser's bracket at the 2012 Little League World Series, but these two teams have the talent to take this difficult path all the way to the championship. 

Both of these teams advanced with impressive wins on Tuesday. Mexico beat the Caribbean 6-2, and the West beat New England 5-0. 

Mexico has advanced with a dynamic offense.

Their team .371 batting average is third for the tournament, and their .733 slugging percentage is second. This lineup can produce some bombs and big innings. 

Mexico's 4.64 ERA is only good for 10th in the tournament, but a big chunk of that can be attributed to the first inning of its first game when it allowed Canada to score seven runs. 

Mexico ended up losing that game 13-9 for its lone loss of the tournament. Since that first inning, this team has looked as good as anyone. 

Meanwhile, the West (Petaluma, Calif.) has had a dramatic tournament run. The team won its opener against New England 6-4. They then suffered their lone loss of the tournament to the Southeast 6-9. 

That led them to an extra-inning walk-off win over Mid-Atlantic, 5-4. 

This team has been through all the drama, and it is as battle tested as any team in the tournament. The West is a well-balanced team. It can win with pitching or hitting—the team is sixth in ERA and seventh in team batting average.

They are developing a knack for finding ways to win. 

It is impossible to overestimate how much this experience will help the West handle the pressure going forward. 

These two teams have their work cut out for them moving through the loser's bracket, but they are both capable of pulling it off.