Press Release International Baseball Federation (IBAF), www.ibaf.org
USA rebounds from Loss with offensive Outburst – Cuba mercy rules Venezuela
Panama City, Panama. Four days are played at the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup and 14 of the 16 teams will rest on Wednesday. Cuba won another clash between baseball heavyweights, when they mercy ruled Venezuela in Santiago. They are joined by the Netherlands, Panama and Canada with clean records after they continued to surge on Tuesday. Defending champion Team USA rebounded from their disappointing result in the opener with a rout against Chinese Taipei. Korea kept Australia scoreless in the tournament with a four-hitter. Italy and the Dominican Republic joined the Olympic champion with their second wins.
Group 1
Japan 2 – Netherlands 5
The Netherlands improved to 3-0 in the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup with a 5-2 win over Japan. After defeating Chinese Taipei and Greece on the first two days in Aguadulce, the team of head coach Brian Farley also had few problems in its debut at Rod Carew Stadium in Panama City. Four runs in the fourth inning got them the lead and they routinely sealed the victory afterwards. Japan suffered its second loss in two days, adding the element of pressure to their remaining games in their attempt to qualify for the second round.
Greece 2 – Canada 12
Canada collects the third win of the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup taking down Greece (12-2). The North American lineup overpowered the opposing pitchers and had fourteen hits, five for extra bases and two homeruns. Nothing to do for the European team which in the fourth just gave the illusion to be able to recover in the match.
Panama 4 – Puerto Rico 2
Host Panama celebrated its third win in as many games at the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup on Tuesday evening at Rod Carew Stadium in Panama City. They surged past the Puerto Rican team 4-2, which had delivered the first big upset with their extra inning win over the USA on Monday. Four runs in the first three innings put them on the road to the victory. Comeback tries by the Caribbeans at the end were stopped right in time.
Chinese Taipei 1 – USA 15
Under a soft rain, the United States picked up their first win in the XXXIX Baseball World Cup. In the first half the American team built up an early and commanding lead. After each team scores once in the third, After Japan was able to answer the 1-0 lead with the immediate tie, the second USA advantage is too much for the Asians. The fourth innings is the key of the match with seven run scored by Team USA (three-run homerun by Allen Pollok). Also Matt Clark, Thomas Mendonca and Jordy Mercer hit homeruns to close the out match (15-1).
Group 2
Italy 6 – Nicaragua 3
Italy collected their second win beating Nicaragua 6-3. The Italians scored early and never looked back. Giuseppe Mazzanti hit a triple and a double in his first two at bats and Tony Granato got three hits, including a solo homer that added a much required insurance run in the sixth. Nicaragua tried to limit the Italian line up by sending six pitchers to the mound. Italian starter Cillo left with the bases loaded in the fourth and his reliever Alessandro Maestri got the win. Giovanni D’Amico pitched the final inning for the save. A diving catch by Italy’s third baseman Juan Carlos Infante early in the game and a couple of athletic plays by Nicaragua’s shortstop Ivan Marin made the game really exciting for the fans.
Germany 2 – Dominican Republic 13
The Dominican Republic keeps cruising and gets rid of Team Germany in a 7-inning, 13-2 victory against the second European team of the First Group at the Baseball World Cup. A fast start of the Caribbean lineup produced a big first inning, with one run out of three singles and two walks that forced manager Greg Frady to substitute starter Tim Henkenjohann with Philipp Hoffschild, but a single by Juan Richardson and a triple by Mario Silvio Castillo set the score to five runs before the first three outs.
Korea 8 – Australia 0
Korea shut out Australia 8-0 on Tuesday evening at Rico Cedeno Stadium in Chitre, Panama. It was the third straight loss in which the team from Down Under wasn’t able to score. The Olympic Champion from 2008 scored four runs in the third, one in the fifth and three in the eighth to lighten up the board. Chang Min Mo hit a homerun. Pitchers Hyoun Taek Oh and Hyun Jun Lim combined for a four-hitter, striking out 12.
Cuba 14 – Venezuela 2
A dark sky and a torrential shower could not keep a big crowd to attend Venezuela-Cuba showdown in beautiful Omar Torridos Stadium. Those who made it did not miss the appointment were the Cuban bats that were on song for the entire game: Rusney Castillo, the first Cuban hitter, slammed over the fences the first pitch delivered by the opponent starter Juan Colmenares, beginning a rush that ended in the seventh, when Venezuela scored twice out of a Herbert Lara double, but could not prevent an anticipated 14-2 loss.
Notes
18-year-old German pitcher Daniel Thieben is expected to sign with the Seattle Mariners next month. He held the Dominican Republic hitless in 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief….Students of the American Institute in Panama City attended the games at Rod Carew Stadium on Tuesday… Canadian Pitching Coach, Denis Boucher (Lachine, QC) will be inducted into the Québec Sports Hall of Fame. Boucher will be inducted with some select company including hockey great Patrick Roy….Australia is still scoreless after 25 innings played. In the 2009 Baseball World Cup they scored 33 runs in the first three games.
Outlook
14 of the 16 teams in the 2011 IBAF Baseball World Cup will enjoy an off day on Wednesday, two will have to work. Team USA and Japan will make up the rainout from Sunday at Rod Carew Stadium in Panama City. First pitch is scheduled for 5pm local time. Japan hopes for its first win in the tournament. The defending champion bounced back from their opening loss with a rout and will try to climb over .500 for the first time. The regular eight-game schedule will be on the program on Thursday.
Schedule, Wednesday, October 5
17h00 Japan – USA
(local times Panama)
