(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Henk Seppen)
    Curaçao opens Central American & Caribbean Games with win
Nederlands
 SAN SALVADOR (El Salvador) -
The National Team of Curaçao opened the 24th edition of the Central American and Caribbean Games on Saturday (June 24) with a 12-4 victory against host El Salvador.
The multi-sport event is held in San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, but seven sports were relocated to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.
The event was initially to be held in Panama, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, host city Panama City withdraw in July 2020.
El Salvador was then chosen to host the Games in May 2021.
Selected to play for Curaçao were three players who are this season active in the Dutch big league, being pitcher Sedley Karel (HCAW), pitcher Chris Koeiman (RCH-Pinguïns) and outfielder Rayshelon Carolina (Curaçao Neptunus).
Also playing for the team is infielder Dudley Leonora, who plays in the Italian league for San Marino, but also has played in the Dutch league for several seasons.
Other former Dutch big leaguers in the team are Kevin Moesquit and Temesh Lourens.
Short stop Andrelton Simmons, who played in the Major League until being released last season, also is on the Curaçao-roster.
In March of this year, Simmons participated with the Netherlands Team in the World Baseball Classic.
...Rayshelon Carolina hitting for Neptunus...
...in the 2023 season...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Curaçao qualified for participation and had a good start.
At Parque de Pelota Saturnino Bengoa, the team trailed 2-0 after the first inning, but then got one run back in the second at bat, then took the lead in the third by scoring three runs.
From there, the team kept on adding runs, including three in the fifth and four in the sixth inning.
Curaçao collected 14 basehits, including three by former Major Leaguer Andrelton Simmons, one of them being a double.
Rayshelon Carolina was the lead-off hitter for Curaçao and batted 2-for-3, walked, scored a run and stole a base.
Temesh Lourens, who briefly played in the Dutch league for Quick Amersfoort in 2020, started for Curaçao and struckout four batters in five innings.
Sedley Karel then pitched the sixth inning, striking out and walking a batter.
Swindly Lint threw the seventh and final inning.
All games are 7-inning contests.
On Sunday (June 25), Curaçao lost 4-2 against Cuba.
The game remained scoreless in the first four innings, but Cuba then opened the score with two runs in the fifth.
Curaçao cut the deficit in half in its fifth at bat, but Cuba took some more distance thereafter.
Curaçao got six basehits in this game, including two by Raysheandall Michel.
On Monday (June 26), all four scheduled games were postponed due to rain.
Curaçao was then to play in the afternoon against Mexico.
Rain is also expected in the upcoming seven days.
The baseball-tournament is scheduled to end coming Saturday.
(June 26)
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