(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Henk Seppen)
     Curaçao loses Semi-Final vs. Cuba in Caribbean Baseball Cup
Nederlands
 NASSAU (Bahamas) -
Curaçao ended up just short against Cuba in the Semi-Final of the Caribbean Baseball Cup on Saturday-afternoon (December 10).
Just as in the final game of the preliminary round on Thursday, Curaçao took the lead against Cuba, but ended up empty-handed.
On Thursday, Curaçao led 7-4, but lost 8-7.
Today, the team led 2-0 and lost 4-2.
With the win, Cuba advanced to the Final of the event, which will be played on Sunday-evening at The Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium at the Queen Elizabeth Sports Complex in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas.
Curaçao now will play for third and third place, but still has a chance to qualify for the Central American and Caribbean Games, which will be held next year (June 23-July 8) in El Salvador.
Two teams will qualify, but Cuba already has done so.
That means that when Curaçao wins the bronze medal-game, it also will qualify.
On Saturday-afternoon, Curaçao got a chance to score early in the top of the first inning.
With two outs, Darren Seferina and Dudley Leonora singled, but Cuban starter José Rodríguez Menendez then closed with a strikeout.
After being retired in order in the second at bat, Curaçao did open the score with two outs in the top of the third inning.
Ulrich Snijders led off with a double, moved on a grounder by Rayshelon Carolina, but then was eliminated at the plate when he tried to score on a grounder by Shurendell Mujica.
Now with two outs, Mujica scored when Darren Seferina followed with a runscoring double, then scored himself on a single by Dudley Leonora.
Curaçao-starter Jordan Lucas retired the first five batters he faced.
With two outs in the second at bat, he got runners on first and second base, but they were left behind.
Trailing 2-0, Cuba scored its first run in the third inning
Lucas gave up singles to Christian Rodríguez García and Santiago Torres Baena.
Cuba got the bases loaded when a force play-grounder didn't end in an out.
Next batter Yoelkis Guibert grounded into a double play, but that also brought in Rodríguez, which cut the deficit in half.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Cuba got its lead-off hitter on base.
With one out, Yasiel González García hit a line drive into centerfield, but there, Sherman Lacrus made a nice catch.
A grounder ended the at bat.
Curaçao got runners at the corners in the fifth inning, but was unable to add another run.
With two outs and Rayshelon Carolina (fielder's choice) on first base, Darren Seferina singled, which gave the team runners on first and third base.
A flyout ended the inning.
...Darren Seferina playing for Curaçao during...
...the Baseball Week Haarlem this year...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Curaçao got another scoring opportunity in the sixth inning.
Kay-Lan Nicasia and Raywendley Van Gurp led off with singles.
With one out, the bases got loaded when Sherman Lacrus was hit by a pitch, but the at bat ended when Ulrich Snijders grounded into a double play.
After Curaçao had left four runners behind in the fifth and sixth inning combined, Cuba came alongside in the bottom of the sixth.
Yoelkis Guibert led off with a walk, moved into scoring position via a wild pitch with one out, then scored on a single by Alexquemer Sánchez Sánchez.
Curaçao again stranded two runners in the top of the seventh inning.
Rayshelon Carolina led off with a single and was brought to second base via a sacrifice bunt by Shurendell Mujica.
With first base open, Darren Seferina was walked intentionally by reliever Franky Quintana Gamboa, who had entered in the previous inning.
With two runners on base, Quintana struckout the next two batters.
Another big scoring opportunity for Curaçao followed in the eighth inning when the team got the bases loaded.
New Cuban pitcher Yeudi Reyes Gamboa walked lead-off hitter Raywendley Van Gurp, but he was caught stealing.
Next batter Raysheandell Michel followed with a double, then the bases got loaded when Sherman Lacrus was hit by a pitch and pinch-hitter Ortwin Pieternella walked.
However, all three runners were left behind.
Reyes struckout Rayshelon Carolina, then the inning ended when Lacrus was forced out at third base on a grounder by Shurendell Mujica.
Cuba then broke the 2-2 tie in the bottom of the eighth off of Risandro Pastor, who became the fourth pitcher for Curaçao in this game.
He walked lead-off hitter Yoelkis Guibert, then gave up a single to Guillermo Avilés Difurnó, which led to runners on first and third base.
Guibert then scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Alexquemer Sánchez Sánchez.
With two outs, Avilés moved to second base on a wild pitch, then scored the second run in the at bat on a single by Yasiel González García.
The inning ended when the latter was forced out, but Cuba now led 4-2.
In its final at bat in the game, Curaçao was unable to come back off of Yeudi Reyes Gamboa.
The righthander retired the side to end the game.
Curaçao collected eight basehits in the game, including three by Darren Seferina, who also scored once, batted in one run and walked once.
Seferina is one of the players who played for Curaçao during this years Baseball Week Haarlem in the Netherlands.
(December 10)
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