Little League World Series 2013: Mexico Proves Championship Merit vs. Panama

In two games at the 2013 Little League World Series, Mexico has outscored its opponents 25-0. I feel it's safe to call that a hot start. 

On Sunday, Mexico was supremely impressive, as the boys from Tijuana needed just four innings against Latin America before the mercy rule was applied. 

When it was all said and done, Mexico tallied 13 runs on 14 hits, and that means it is tough to decipher what was more effective for this team: the offense or the defense. 

On the hill, Luis Manzo went all four innings and allowed just one hit, and the defense backed him up by not committing an error. 

Offensively, Mexico wasted no time announcing it was there to do some hitting. Brandon Montes, the game's leadoff hitter, started things off by going yard:

In all, Mexico hit five home runs in the four innings of this contest. That included Ramon Mendoza going over the fence twice, with one of those being good for a grand slam.

And all of this came after Mexico beat Australia 12-0 in the opener and needed to hit in just three innings in that one. Mexico allowed just two hits in that contest and did not commit an error yet again. 

While that win was also impressive, there was reason to be a little hesitant about Mexico's brilliance. After all, it was Australia's first ever game at the LLWS. 

That left this game against Latin America as a proving ground. There is no reason to doubt the pedigree of this team from Aguadulce, Panama. 

Last year, Latin America was also represented by a team from Aguadulce, and that team advanced all the way to the International championship game before falling to eventual champs Japan. 

Looking to take things a little further this year, the Panamanians began their LLWS with a solid 9-4 win over the Caribbean, and appeared poised to make a deep run. Instead, they were dismantled by Mexico, and now it is the boys from Tijuana who are making everyone take notice. 

Next up for Mexico is a game against the winner of Japan and Asia Pacific. Japan is the defending champions of this event and are looking to make another run to the title. It will have its hands full taking on a talented Asia Pacific team that handled Canada 10-2 in the opener. 

Either opponent is a tough draw for everyone, but after seeing the fine pitching and well-balanced lineup of Mexico, the boys from Tijuana are my favorite to advance out of the International pool.

All results and stats via LittleLeague.org.