Baseball World Cup Round 3, Nettuno:
Taiwan – Cuba 0-8
CUB 310 120 100 8 10 0 TPE 000 000 000 0 5 2
With the earlier loss by the Netherlands and Puerto Rico, Cuba moved closer to a final berth on Wednesday with an 8-0 shutout over Taiwan in Nettuno (attendance: 500). They didn’t waste any time to decide the outcome, scoring four runs in the first two frames. They are now 4-1, solidifying first in Pool F.
Cuba used four homeruns to beat the lone remaining Asian team in the Baseball World Cup. Alfredo Despaigne went deep twice and now has nine long balls in the tournament, tied for the lead with Justin Smoak of Team USA. Frederich Cepeda and Ariel Borrero also homered.
On the mound Miguel Gonzalez (W 3-0) issued only three hits and a walk in seven scoreless innings for his third win. He struck out eight batters. Jonder Martinez completed the shutout. Chia-Chun Tang (L 0-1) gave up eight hits, five runs and a walk in 3 1/3 innings for the loss.
Cuba will face Team USA in Nettuno on Thursday (live at Eurosport2 and MLB Network), possible a preview for Sunday’s championship game at the same place. Taiwan hosts Puerto Rico in Chieti.