The Panamá Este sports province once again dominated the National Softball Championship for 50 years and over of the Liga Indian Rodríguez, winning the title with team A, while team B finished in third place. The national tournament was held in the provinces of Herrera and Los Santos and featured the participation of 12 provinces, with two teams each. Panamá Este A, led by Eduardo Peralta, won the title for the second consecutive year by defeating Los Santos 21-9 in the final match held at the Ermita de Las Tablas. It is worth noting that Panamá Este A lost only one game throughout the entire tournament. Panamá Este A featured key players such as Luis Iglesias, Miguel Pérez, Jair Cabrera, José Luis Vargas, Vicente Garibaldo, Lázaro Alvarado, Rodolfo Aparicio, and Leroy McKenzie, among others. Meanwhile, Panamá Este B, led by Horacio Rodríguez, Omar Cueto, and Tulio Sandoval, secured third place in the competition. Panamá Este B had a record of 8-2 in the regular season, qualifying for the second phase, where they advanced past Herrera and Coclé but lost to Los Santos. In the semifinals, they faced Panamá Este A, losing 9-8. Panamá Este B featured key players such as Roberto Lombana, Gustavo Cogley, Harry Acedo, Jesús Valencia, José Madrid, Juan Menéndez, Serafín Centeno, Inocencio Quintero, Omar Castillo, Luis Villalaz, Juan Rentería, Víctor Ávila, and José Madrid, among others. With the tournament being hosted in the country, Panamá will begin its quest for qualification to its fifth U-17 World Cup today when it faces Dominica. Panamá will host Group B of the CONCACAF U-17 Championship (Rommel Fernández National Stadium), where the winner will earn a direct spot to the main football world event in this category, which will be held this year in 2026. The national team, led by former national team player Felipe Baloy, will have its match at 5:00 PM, while in the second slot (8:00 PM), Nicaragua will face Anguilla. According to CONCACAF statistics, this will be the first-ever meeting between the two national teams in the U-17 qualifiers. Panamá is on a seven-match unbeaten streak against Caribbean teams, with five wins and two draws. For Dominica, Panamá will be its third Central American opponent in the history of this regional tournament. On Saturday, February 7, the second matchday of the qualifying tournament will be played when Dominica faces Nicaragua at 5:00 PM, while at 8:00 PM, Panamá will play against Anguilla. The third and final matchday will be held on Tuesday, February 10, when Dominica vs. Anguilla will face off at 5:00 PM, followed by Panamá vs. Nicaragua at 8:00 PM.
