(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
   Italy beats Venezuela; exhibition wins Cuba, Japan, Taiwan, Canada
Nederlands
   SEOUL (South Korea) / FUKUOKA (Japan) / DOULIU (Taiwan) -
In the days leading up to the inaugural edition of the Premier12, the participating countries play several exhibition games during their final preparations.
The team of the Kingdom of the Netherlands played two games so far in Taiwan.
The squad won 7-0 against the team of the University of New Taipei City on Wednesday (November 4), then lost 3-2 to the USA on Friday (November 6).
Recap first game
Recap second game
...The teams line up in Gocheok Sky Dome...
(© Photo courtesy of WBSC) |
At Seoul, Cuba won 3-1 vs. South Korea after having lost the first game of the Seoul Super Series that opened the new Gocheok Sky Dome in the South Korean capital.
In the opener, South Korea won 6-0. (Recap first game)
On Thursday (November 5), Cuba opened the second game with two runs in the first inning, then added one in the seventh.
Cuba collected nine basehits, the Koreans eight, scoring their lone run in the sixth inning.
In the first inning, rookie Julio P. Martínez reached on a bunt-single, then Stayler Hernández followed with a double.
Martinez then scored the first run on a sacrifice fly by Lourdes Y. Gourriel.
A single by Alfredo Despaigne accounted for the second run.
After South Korea had cut the lead in half, Cuba added a run in the seventh when Lourdes Gourriel doubled and scored on a single by Yulieski Gourriel.
At Fukuoka, Japan won twice vs. Puerto Rico.
On Thursday (November 5), Japan won 8-3, then won 3-2 on Friday (November 6), scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning.
In the first game, Japan collected 12 basehits.
The team opened the score with two runs in the third inning, then added two in the next at bat and another one in the fifth.
Puerto Rico got two runs back in the bottom of the fifth, but then Japan took more distance by scoring three more runs in the eighth.
Japan-starter Kenta Maeda struckout eight batters in three innings.
In total, six Japanese pitchers struckout 18 Puerto Rican-batters in this game.
Shogo Akiyama of the Seibu Lions opened the score in the third inning with a 2-run homerun.
Yoshitomo Tsutsugo of the DeNa Baystars contributed with a solo-homerun in the eighth inning.
In the second game, Puerto Rico scored once in the first and fourth and was leading 2-0 when Japan scored its first run in the sixth.
Japan then scored twice in the ninth to win, 3-2.
Japan has named Shohei Ohtani as its starting pitcher for next Sunday's Premier12-opener vs. South Korea.
At Douliu, Canada blanked Mexico 8-0 on Friday (November 6).
Pete Orr drove in four runs, while Skyler Stromsmoe hit two doubles and batted in two.
Canada opened the score in the second inning when Rene Tosoni led off with a double and scored on a 2-out double by Stromsmoe.
In the fifth, it was Stromsmoe who led off with a double and scored on a single by Orr.
In the sixth, with the bases loaded, Orr singled in two runs, while another run was scored on a wild pitch.
In the eighth, Stromsmoe singled in another run, then scored himself on a single by Orr.
A fielder's choice-grounder in the ninth made it 8-0.
Italy played three games against University-teams in the past days, winning twice and losing once. (Recaps)
Today (Friday, November 6), at Douliu, Italy won 4-3 vs. Venezuela.
The Italian team dominated and its pitching gave up only three hits in the first eight innings.
The Italian defense also played very fine, with a lead role by short stop Erick Epifano.
In the second inning, Mario Chiarini doubled, moved on a single, then scored on a double play-grounder by Alex Sambucci.
The big hit today came from Alex Sambucci, who cleared the bases with a 3-run double in the seventh inning.
Venezuela then scores its three runs in the ninth inning, but ends up empty-handed.
Also on Friday (November 6), Taiwan shutout the Dominican Republic, 3-0.
(November 6)
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