USA vs. NCA
USA's Benson Leads Squad to Win in Olympic Baseball Opener
Nicaragua held the United States to just six hits,
but a strong performance from USA starter Kris BENSON helped the
host country record a 4-1 victory in the opening game of the Centennial
Olympic Games baseball competition.
BENSON, who hails from Marietta, Georgia, struggled
early as Nicaragua jumped ahead 1-0 in bottom of the first inning.
But, the USA pushed across two runs in both the fifth and sixth
innings to provide the only scoring needed for the USA to open
the round-robin preliminaries with a win.
After a tough first two innings, BENSON then settled
down to retire 17 of the next 21 batters from the third through
eighth innings to allow the USA to record its come-from-behind
victory. In all, BENSON allowed seven hits over eight innings,
while striking out seven and allowing two walks to earn the win.
Braden LOOPER pitched the ninth inning to secure the win.
The USA will next face South Korea on 22 July at
20:00, while Nicaragua will face Italy at 15:00.
Final Score: USA 4, NCA 1
See story.
"For us to win while getting only six hits is
very rare. The kids did a good job of getting the runs across
today," said USA Head Coach Skip Bertman, whose squad has
averaged 9.2 runs per game over the last 31 games prior to the
Olympic Games.
CUB vs. AUS
Cuba Powers Past Australia: Designated hitter Orestes KINDELAN and second baseman Antonio PACHECO each hit a pair of home runs to propel Cuba to a 19-8 win over Australia in the opening game for both teams. Overall, Cuba hit five home runs on the afternoon in its 20-hit attack to win the game by the 10-run rule in the eighth inning.
Cuba trailed 4-2 through two innings before KINDELAN hit the first of his two home runs with one man aboard in the top of the third inning to deadlock the score at four. Cuba went ahead later in the inning as Alberto HERNANDEZ knocked in PACHECO with a sacrifice fly. After an 82-minute rain delay in the top of the fourth, KINDELAN hit a 3-run blast to up the score to 8-4 in Cuba's favor.
Australia, making its first appearance in the Olympic Games baseball tournament by winning the first-ever Oceania continental championship, would not surrender to the veteran Cuban squad that won the gold medal in Barcelona in 1992. Australia used a four-run fourth inning to tie the game at eight. But, an eight-run sixth inning, including the first of PACHECO's home runs, broke open the close game as the Cubans prevailed. PACHECO added his second homer in the eighth, a three-run shot that ran Cuba's total to 11 unanswered runs after the game was tied at 8 in the fourth. Final Score: Cuba 19, Australia 8
"I thought it was a very exciting game," said Cuba's Antonio PACHECO following the game. "There were some samples that the championship will not be easy. No one thought the Australian team could score eight runs on the Cuban team...we cannot lay back and relax even though we are the Olympic champion from 1992."
JPN vs. NED
Japan's Misawa Shuts Down Netherlands Squad: Koichi MISAWA pitched a three-hitter over six innings to help Japan to a 12-2 victory over the Netherlands late Saturday. MISAWA, who allowed only one baserunner after the second inning, gave up just one run, a solo home run in the second inning by Edsel MARTIS.
MISAWA received both a variety and consistent display of offensive support from his teammates to earn the victory as Japan never trailed in the contest. The scoring started on the fourth pitch of the game, lasting throughout, as Japan scored in six of its seven innings, aided by 17 hits and four errors. Takayuki TAKABAYASHI led off the game with a home run, hitting the fourth pitch from starter and loser Geoffry KOHL over the right field fence. Hideaki OKUBO then followed the example with a solo home run to lead off the second as Japan led 2-0 and never looked back.
After the solo homer by the Netherlands pulled the score to 2-1 in the second, Japan added runs in the third on a run-scoring single by Nobuhiko MATSUNAKA, and fifth with a RBI triple by Tadahito IGUCHI to make it a 4-1 Japan advantage. A two-run sixth and six-run seventh sent the fans home early as Japan claimed the contest by virtue of the international run-difference rule. The Netherlands did add a run off reliever Masahiko MORI in the seventh, a solo homer by Marcel JOOST, before leaving the bases loaded to provide the final margin of victory. Final Score: Japan 12, Netherlands 2
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