Yoelkis Gilbert and Yoan Moncada homered in the first three innings to lift Cuba to a 3-1 win over Panama in both teams’ Pool A opener of the World Baseball Classic Friday in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Ariel Martinez added two hits for Cuba, which had just two at-bats with runners in scoring position.
Johan Camargo plated Panama’s only run with a seventh-inning single. Leonard Bernal (2-for-4) was the team’s only player with multiple hits and scored the run.
Livan Moinelo registered the win, tossing 3 2/3 scoreless innings with four strikeouts in his start. Raidel Martinez recorded the save with a 1-2-3 ninth. Logan Allen took the loss for Panama, allowing three runs on five hits in three innings while fanning five.
Venezuela 6, Netherlands 2
Willson Contreras’ two-run single highlighted a four-run fifth inning that proved to be the difference for Venezuela against the Netherlands during a Pool D opener in Miami.
Javier Sanoja homered for Venezuela, which also got a pair of RBIs from Wilyer Abreu and a pair of runs and a double from leadoff man Ronald Acuna Jr. Ranger Suarez was the winning pitcher, allowing one run on three hits over two innings.
Druw Jones, the son of soon-to-be Hall of Famer Andruw Jones, accounted for both of the Dutch RBIs with a run-scoring double and a sacrifice fly. Antwone Kelly was the losing pitcher, allowing two runs and four hits over three innings.
Mexico 8, Great Britain 2
Jonathan Aranda hit a homer to spark a late rally that saw Mexico plate seven runs over the final two innings to run away from Great Britain in a Pool B opener in Houston.
Aranda had two hits and three RBIs for Mexico, which also got a homer from Nacho Alvarez Jr. and a two-run single from Alek Thomas. Javier Assad (3 2/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 K) was excellent in his start, but Robert Garcia collected the win with a scoreless seventh inning.
Harry Ford sparked the British team with two hits, which included a solo homer in the sixth to forge a 1-1 tie. Trayce Thompson added an RBI double in the ninth. Gary Gill Hill took the loss as he allowed the first two runs in Mexico’s three-run eighth. He struck out, walked two and allowed no hits over 1 2/3 innings.
Puerto Rico 5, Colombia 0
Seth Lugo threw four-plus scoreless innings as host Puerto Rico blanked Colombia in a Pool A opener at San Juan.
Lugo permitted three hits and two walks while striking out three. Six teammates followed him to the mound, with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Edwin Diaz striking out three in the ninth inning. Eddie Rosario, Martin Maldonado and Willi Castro had run-scoring hits for Puerto Rico.
Harold Ramirez went 3-for-4, collecting half of Colombia’s hits. Starter Jose Quintana fired three shutout innings before Adrian Almeida was tagged for five runs (three earned) in 1 1/3 innings.
Dominican Republic 12, Nicaragua 3
Junior Caminero broke a sixth-inning tie with a two-run homer, and the Dominicans pulled away for a win over the Nicaraguans in the Pool D opener at Miami.
Julio Rodriguez (3-for-5, three RBIs) led off the Dominican Republic’s sixth-run, eighth-inning rally with a home run, and Oneil Cruz added a three-run shot in the frame. Fernando Tatis Jr. added two hits, two walks and three runs for the victors.
Ismael Munguia and Cristhian Sandoval each collected two hits for Nicaragua.
–Field Level Media
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