Havana, November 7 (RHC) – Cuba regained its breath in the VI Under-23 Baseball World Championship by defeating South Africa 26-6 by knockout today, in the second day of Group B being played in Nicaragua.
After falling 3-2 to South Korea the day before in a match that required additional tickets, Guillermo Carmona’s team arrived at the Soberanía National Stadium with the urgent need to add points and keep their qualifying hopes alive.
South Africa, meanwhile, arrived reeling from their 10-0 thrashing by Venezuela, so both teams sought the victory on the Managua diamond that had eluded them in their debut.
In the second inning, the Cubans took the lead with two runs, combining two walks, a hit-by-pitch, a sacrifice fly, and an RBI single by Carlos Nieto, who also hit a double in the game and drove in three runners.
The third run, also charged to the starting pitcher and losing pitcher Aiden McAllister, was driven in by Rafael de Jesús Álvarez with a double in the third inning, an inning where the Caribbean team scored six times and sealed the victory.
Anyelo Videt was another standout at the plate, driving in three teammates in a 13-hit attack that was further fueled by five errors from the South African defense.
Riquelmi Odelín pitched 3.2 innings, allowing three hits and five runs, when his opponents rioted in the fourth inning.
His replacement, Lee Andy Plumas, allowed one run to complete a six-run rally that prevented the out, before the game was stopped for several minutes due to rain.
But the left-hander from Havana recovered and recorded six outs to earn the win on the mound.
After play resumed, Cuba scored two more runs in the fifth and 12 in the sixth with doubles by Leonardo Alarcón, Frank David González, and Carlos Chávez, the latter with four RBIs on the day.
Tomorrow, Cuba will play against the reigning world champion, Japan, at Roberto Clemente Stadium in Masaya, in a matchup that will test the true strength of the Cubans against one of the tournament favorites.
With today’s victory, the Cubans are back in contention in Group B, which also includes Japan, South Korea, Venezuela, and Great Britain, where only the top three will advance to the next round.
