U23 Baseball 2026 Final, Game 3: Chiriquí Occidente moves within one win of title after beating Panamá Oeste

Chiriquí Occidente moved to within one victory of the Panamanian U23 baseball title after beating Panamá Oeste 10-5 in Game 3 of the final on Saturday, September 5, at Mariano Rivera Stadium in La Chorrera.

The western team secured its second win of the series with four runs in the top of the ninth inning. The final is decided by the first team to win three games in a maximum of five.

Jonathan Guerra earned the win after allowing two hits and two runs, striking out one and walking three in two and two-thirds innings. Carlos Dias took the loss after giving up nine hits and five runs over five innings.

Jael Escobar led Chiriquí Occidente with three hits in five at-bats, one run scored and two RBIs. Amador Rojas went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, while Erick Barría went 2-for-4 and scored twice. For Panamá Oeste, Jay Wood went 3-for-4 with one RBI, Juan Caballero went 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI, and Yeremy Sánchez went 1-for-3 with a run and two RBIs.

The teams return to Mariano Rivera Stadium on Sunday for Game 4, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Before Saturday's game, the Panamanian Baseball Federation honored the tournament's top performers. Jean Carrillo of Panamá Metro was named Manager of the Year, Dereck Gómez of Coclé won Pitcher of the Year, and Héctor Rayo of Chiriquí Occidente was named Most Valuable Player.