Venezuela vs. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico recorded a convincing 12-7 win against Venezuela on Monday.
Puerto Rican champion Criollos de Caguas already led 9-0 halfway the third inning and collected 16 basehits.
Anthony García and Jonathan Morales both had three basehits.
David Vidal batted in four runs.
García and Vidal homered, as did Rusney Castillo and Jesmuel Valentin.
...Irving Falu playing for Puerto Rico vs. Netherlands...
...at the 2009 World Baseball Classic...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Puerto Rico opened with four runs in the top of the first inning.
With one out, Jesmuel Valentin singled and moved on a wild pitch and a single by Anthony García.
He then scored the first run when Johnny Monell reached on an error and David Vidal followed with a 3-run homerun.
Four more runs were added in the second inning.
Jonathan Morales led off with a single, but was forced out on a grounder by Irving Falu, who then scored when Rusney Castillo homered.
With two outs, Anthony García walked and scored on a double by Monell.
After a pitching change, the latter scored the next run on a single by Vidal to make it an 8-0 score.
In the top of the third inning, Puerto Rico scored again.
With one out and the bases loaded, then run was scored on a sacrifice fly by Jesmuel Valentin, which also ended in an inning-ending double play.
Venezuela was able to do something back in the bottom of the third inning.
With two outs and two runners on base, Rene Reyes and Balbino Fuenmayor delivered runscoring singles.
In the bottom of the fourth, Venezuela scored another run on a single by Rafael Ortega, but then was held scoreless again in the following three innings.
The team scored four runs in the final two at bats, but then faced a bigger deficit to turn the game around.
With a 9-3 lead, Puerto Rico added two more runs in the eighth when Jesmuel Valentin and Anthony García hit back-to-back homeruns with one out off of new pitcher Jean Toledo.
Now trailing 11-3, Venezuela scored twice in its eighth at bat on a double by Luis Domoromo and a grounder by Luis Hernandez.
However, Puerto Rico scored one more run in the ninth when Dayron Varona led off with a triple off of reliever Ricardo Hernandez and scored on a following double by Jonathan Morales.
A grounder by Tomas Telis and a single by Alexi Amarista produced the sixth and seventh run for Venezuela in the bottom of the ninth, but that was to be it.
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First loss Cuba; México eliminated for Play-Offs Serie del Caribe
ZAPOPAN, Jalisco (México) -
On Monday (February 5), Day 4 of the Serie del Caribe, Puerto Rico won 12-7 against Venezuela to reach the Play-Offs of the annual event.
In the evening, the Dominican Republic recorded a 7-1 win against Cuba.
This not only resulted in the first loss of Cuba, but it also secured a spot for the Dominicans in the Play-Offs and the elimination of México for the final-four.
When Cuba had won, the final game of the game in the preliminary round would have been decisive.
In that game, on Tuesday-evening, the Dominicans plays against host México.
A Mexican win would then have resulted in a Play-Off spot based on the head-to-head result.
But by winning against Cuba, a loss now will not harm the Dominican Republic.
Águilas took some more distance by scoring twice in the bottom of the fifth.
Abiatal Avelino led off with a double and scored when Junior Lake homered with one out.