Rain continued to play havoc at the Pan Am/Baseball World Cup Qualifier in Puerto Rico on Wednesday, causing yet another rainout of the Dominican Republic vs. Aruba matchup. Three games were played, two will conclude the preliminary round today.
Team USA improved to 5-0 in group A with a 10-2 rout over Panama. Brad Eldred and Mike Trout went deep and combined for six RBI. They scored four runs in the first and four in the sixth to seal the victory. Danny Duffy went five strong innings to become the third starting pitcher of the Royals Double-A affiliate to win a game in the tournament. Elias Saenz took the loss for Panama.
In group B Nicaragua shut out Argentina 7-0 thanks to eight five-hit innings of Mario Pena. Edgar Lopez drove in three. Mario Hollmann went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI to provide a spark in the nine-spot of the lineup. Former El Llano infielder Gabriel Sanso went 3-for-3 for Argentina.
In the third game on Wednesday Canada crushed the winless Netherlands Antilles 10-1 after taking a fast 6-0 lead after three innings. Adam Stern and Jamie Romak hit homeruns and combined to drive in six of the ten runs. Scott Diamond started and struck out five in four dominant one-hit innings. Chris Kissock picked up the win. Lorvin Louisa collected two hits in two at bats after entering the game as a pinch hitter for the Antilleans in the seventh.
Results Day 6:
Wednesday, October 6:
Group A:
Panama – USA 2-10
Dominican Republic – Aruba postponed
Group B:
Nicaragua – Argentina 7-0
Netherlands Antilles – Canada 1-10
Standings:
Group A:
- USA 5-0
- Panama 3-2
- Puerto Rico 3-2
- Dominican Republic 2-2
- Colombia 1-4
- Aruba 0-4
Group B:
- Cuba 4-0
- Venezuela 4-1
- Canada 3-2
- Nicaragua 2-3
- Argentina 1-4
- Netherlands Antilles 0-5
Schedule Day 7:
Thursday, October 7:
- 1pm Netherlands Antilles – Cuba
- 1pm Dominican Republic – Aruba