Premier 12: Surprises at day 3

On the third day of the Premier 12 Canada and Mexico provided a couple of surprises.

In group A, Canada took on Cuba and Italy faced Puerto Rico. In group B, Mexico faced Venezuela and USA took on the Dominican Republic.

Group A

  Canada  5  –  1  Cuba  

In group A, the Canadians stayed on the right side of the score vs Cuba. We all know that Cuba isn’t the powerhouse that it used to be. In the recent years many fled the island in search for greener baseball pastures in the US. Players like Aroldis Chapman, Yoan Moncada and Yasiel Puig tried their luck in the US. Next to that the Cuban competition contains too many teams for the number of quality players. The result is that the lesser gods need to fill the places on the rosters of the clubs and as a result of that, the quality of the Cuban competition is deteriorating.

Anyhow, the Canadians took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning and that seemed too much to overcome for the Cubans who got on the board in the bottom of the first by scoring a run.
Cuban starter Yosbany Torrez Gomez lasted only 0.2 innings in which he gave up three runs (one earned) on three hits. Tyson Gillies got on base when he led off and the Cuban second baseman Rudith Orlando Reyes Erice committed a fielding error. Then Peter Orr slugged a 1-0 offering for a homerun to right field to give the Canadians a 2-0 lead.
Eventually Jordan Lennerton scored from second base on a single by Taylor Green to give Canada a 3-0 lead.
Cuba scored when Yulieski Gurriel hit a sac fly to right field with the bases loaded to make it 3-1.
Chris Leroux kept the Cuban hitters in check as he gave up three hits, one walk and fanned seven in the remaining 4.2 innings on the mound.
Canada added two more runs in the seventh when Tyson Gilles scored from third base on a single by Rene Tosoni and Tyler O’Neill scored from third on a wild pitch.

Cuba was pretty much outhit by the Canadians, who collected nine hits and Cuba only five.

Chris Leroux earned the win and Yosbany Torrez Gomez took the loss.

Of course no team that participates in this tournament is a push over, but I think that this Canadian team is a force to be reckoned with.

  Italy  1  –   7  Puerto Rico  

In the other game in group A, Italy was no match for Puerto Rico but the game was much more balanced than the score tells.
Until the bottom of the fifth inning, the Italians could keep pace with the Central Americans. In the fourth, Puerto Rico scored the opening run. The fifth and the sixth innings were the decisive ones as the Puerto Ricans scored three and two runs in the consecutive innings. In the top of the eighth, Italy scored their sole run but Puerto Rico answered with scoring one more in the bottom of that very same inning. The turning point in that game may have been the top of the fourth inning, when the Italians had runners on the corners with one out and Alex Sambucci drove a fly ball towards right center field in an attempt to drive in a run on a sac fly. The ball was caught by the right fielder, who fired the ball towards home plate as Alessandro Vaglio tagged up and was tagged out at home plate for the inning ending double play.

Alessandro Maestri,relief pitcher of the NPB’s Orix Buffaloes, started the game for the Italians and kept the Puerto Ricans on a leash until the bottom of the fourth inning as he struck out six in three innings. Maestri threw 83 pitches in four innings and was the difference between a competitive Italian team and a team that gave up too many runs. Despite the good outing, the sole run that he allowed, would tab him with the loss. Maestri struck out seven in four innings, allowing just three hits and two walks. 54 of his 83 pitches were strikes.

Standings group A

Group B

  Dominican Republic  5  –  11  USA  

In a game where the USA took a 3-0 lead and the Dominicans tied the game half an inning later, a six run third inning made the difference. With one out, Tyler Pastornicky doubled down the left field line, followed by a triple down the right field line, hit by Adam Frazier. After Dan Rohlfing drew a walk, Brett Phillips reached first base on a throwing error and Adam Frazier scored from third, to give the Americans a 5-3 lead. Dominican pitcher Victor Mateo couldn’t get out of the inning and loaded the bases by giving up a walk to Jacob May. When Elliott Soto singled, he drove in Dan Rohlfing and Brett Phillips, for the sixth and seventh run for the USA. Soto advanced to second on the throw towards home and Jacob May advanced to third to put two more runners in scoring position. After the second out, a pop up by Bret Eibner, reliever Dioni Soriano gave an intentional walk to Dan Black to load the bases. But instead of making the third out, Soriano gave up a single to Kyle Martin that drove in two more runs. From that moment on, the US never looked back.
Eventually the USA won rather easily with a six run difference.

Starting pitcher Zeke Spruill lasted only 4.2 innings, so he wasnt eligible for the win. That honor went to reliever Joey Denato, who pitched 1.1 innings and gave up two hits, one walk and struck out two.
Victor Mateo took the loss. In 2.1 innings he gave up six runs (five earned) on six hits, walked three and fanned two.

Best hitter for the USA was first baseman Kyle Martin, who went 2 for 5 with three runs batted in.

   Mexico 6  –  4  Venezuela   

In the other game in group B, Mexico ran away with a surprising win over Venezuela. For long it was unclear if Mexico would even participate because of internal trouble within Mexican baseball. The clubs of the various Mexican Winter Leagues did not want to let their players go. Eventually a team of Mexican players, playing in the USA was formed. But they arrived in Taiwan without a proper preparation.
Where Mexico took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning, the Venezuelans scored four in the bottom of the same inning.
In the next three innings both teams kept each other in check, but in the top of the seventh inning Mexico inched closer by scoring one run. In the next they added two more  and in the top of the ninth they scored the much needed insurance run.
That this run wasn’t too much to ask appeared in the bottom of the ninth as Luis Jimenez tried to score all the way from first base on a double hit by Francisco Caraballo, but was thrown out by three feet.

Martin Viramontes earned the win for Mexico as he pitched one perfect inning in relief. Gabriel Alfaro took the loss for Venezuela. He managed to get two outs in the eighth, but also gave up two runs on two hits and a walk.

Best hitter for Mexico was Humberto Sosa who went 2 for 4 with two runs batted in.

Standings group B