(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Henk Seppen)
     Curaçao suffers small loss vs. Cuba in Caribbean Baseball Cup
Nederlands
 NASSAU (Bahamas) -
Curaçao closed the premilimary round of the fourth Caribbean Baseball Cup with a small 8-7 loss against Cuba on Thursday-afternoon (December 8).
Curaçao led 7-4 after three innings, but remained scoreless in the remainder of the game and was unable to hold onto the lead.
In the evening, Puerto Rico won 14-2 against the Bahamas.
On Wednesday, Puerto Rico recorded a 6-0 shutout-win against the US Virgin Islands, while Cuba won 9-3 against the Bahamas.
After completion of the preliminary round, Puerto Rico and Cuba finished in first place with a 3-1 record.
As Puerto Rico has won the head-to-head game, it was awarded first place.
Curaçao finished in third place (2-2), followed by the Bahamas and the US Virgin Islands, who also were tied (1-3).
Bahamas ended up in fourth place as it won the head-to-head game, 4-3, meaning the Virgin Islands-team was eliminated and will finish in fifth place.
No games are scheduled for Friday.
On Saturday, Curaçao and Cuba will meet again in the Semi-Final (cross-final), as will Puerto Rico and the Bahamas.
The winners will advance to the Final on Sunday, the losers will play for third and fourth place.
Two teams will qualify for participation in the Central American and Caribbean Games, which will be held next year (June 23-July 8) in El Salvador.
Cuba already has qualified for the event.
Cuba took an early lead against Curaçao on Thursday at The Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium at the Queen Elizabeth Sports Complex in Nassau.
With one out in the first inning, Curaçao-starter Cedeon Langguth gave up a 2-run homerun to Yoelkis Guibert.
In the bottom of the first inning, Curaçao got a runner in scoring position off of Cuban starter Alexander Valiente Rodríguez.
Rayshelon Carolina led off with a walk, then Valiente followed with two stikeouts.
Thereafter, Carolina was awarded second base on a balk, but moments later, he was picked off at second base by Valiente.
Curaçao came alongside in the second inning.
Dudley Leonora led off with a walk and Kay-Lan Nicasia followed with a double.
With one out, both scored on a single by Raywendley Van Gurp.
...Alexquemer Sánchez Sánchez hitting for Cuba...
...during the Baseball Week Haarlem this year...
...In the game against Curaçao, Sánchez...
...was 2-for-3, walked twice and scored once...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Cuba immediately reacted with two runs in the top of the third inning thanks to singles by Guillermo José Avilés Difurnó (who this year participated in the Baseball Week Haarlem and Leonordo Urgelles Gonzalez.
But this time, Curaçao answered with a 5-run rally in its third at bat.
Curaçao got the bases loaded quickly when Rayshelon Carolina led off with a single and both Sherman Jones and Darren Seferina walked.
That led to a pitching change.
Andy Vargas Lescaille took over, but he began with a walk for Dudley Leonora.
A force play-grounder by Kay-Lan Nicasia then accounted for the tying run.
Curaçao got the bases loaded again when Swendley Lint also walked.
The team of Manager Hainley Statia then took the lead via a sacrifice fly by Raywendley Van Gurp and added two runs on a single by Raysheandell Michel.
The latter advanced to third base on an error, but stranded there, as Vargas closed with a strikeout.
Although Curaçao now led 7-4, the team was kept scoreless by four pitchers in the remainder of the game.
The 3-run lead proved to be not enough.
After Curaçao stranded two runners in the fourth inning, Cuba narrowed the deficit to 7-6 in the fifth inning.
Two walks and in between a single loaded the bases for Cuba.
Djenior Mogen then took over the Curaçao-pitching, but he saw a run being scored on a wild pitch, walked the next batter (which loaded the bases again) and then gave up another run on a sacrifice fly by Leonordo Urgelles Gonzalez.
A double play ended the Cuban at bat, but Curaçao now led by only one run.
Cuba came alongside with two outs in the sixth inning on a single by Luis Mateo Terry.
Curaçao got a scoring opportunity in the bottom of the sixth, but left two runners behind.
With two outs in the seventh inning, Cuba took the lead for the third time.
With one out, Alexquemer Sánchez Sánchez, who also participated with Cuba in the Baseball Week Haarlem this year, walked and stole second base.
With two outs, he scored the go-ahead run on a single by Yasiel Gonzalez García.
When Cuba got another runner via a hit batter, Marlison Brunken became the new pitcher for Curaçao.
He got an inning-ending grounder, but Cuba now led 7-6.
Curaçao was retired in order in the seventh and eighth inning by reliever Franky Quintana Gamboa, but got a change to do some scoring again in the bottom of the ninth.
New Cuban pitcher Yeudi Reyes Gamboa walked lead-off hitter Sherman Jones, then gave up a single to Darren Seferina, which gave Curaçao runners on first and third base.
And so, Curaçao had a chance to come at least alongside.
But Reyes then struckout powerhitter Dudley Leonora.
However, he then got the bases loaded when he walked Shurendell Mujica.
That gave Curaçao an even better scoring opportunity, but the team was unable to do so.
Reyes also struckout next batter Swindley Lint, then got a game-ending grounder from Raywendley Van Gurp.
(December 9)
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