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Olympic Baseball Recaps: 27 July (Day 8)

Baseball Preliminaries/Game 18

CUB vs. ITA

Cuba Warms Up for Anticipated USA Game with 20-6 Win Over Italy

Cuba continued strong play with a 20-6 win over Italy as Orestes KINDELAN broke the Olympic home run record with a pair of home runs. Cuba, in its final test prior to its contest with the USA squad on 28 July, won its fifth game to up its perfect mark to 5-0. Italy dropped to 2-3 with the 14-run loss that ended following the seventh inning due to the international run-difference rule.

KINDELAN, who entered with four home runs in four games, added his fifth, a 502-foot blast in the second inning, and sixth, a leadoff shot in the third, to establish an Olympic record for home runs. The two home runs helped Cuba also tie the Olympic mark for runs in a game with 20, tying Chinese Taipai's standard set in 20-0 win over Spain in 1992.

Starting pitcher Jorge FUMERO threw the first six innings to get the win while Italy started Massamiliano MASIN, who took the loss. FUMERO went six innings, allowing 10 hits, before surrendering to Eliecer MONTES to record the final three outs. Cuba was aided by an Olympic record seven Italian errors as Cuba ran its errorless string to 27 innings.

Final Score: CUB 20, ITA 6.

"It was a relatively easy game for our team today," said Cuban head coach Jorge Fuentes. "Italy has a long tradition in football and we have a long tradition in baseball. They would probably have the same comment about Cuba in football."


Baseball Preliminaries/Game 17

NCA vs. JPN

Japan Keeps Baseball Medal Hopes Alive

After a 2-hour and 15 minute rain delay at the start of the game, Japan jumped out with six runs in the top of the first inning en route to a 13-6 victory over Nicaragua. Japan, which was battling for a chance to stay alive for the medal round, improved to 2-3, while Nicaragua dropped to 3-2.

Nobuhiko MATSUNAKA, who finished with four RBI, slammed a three-run homer and Tomoaki SATO ripped a two-run shot in the big first inning. Japan then used three different pitchers to get the victory. Jaturo KIMURA, the second hurler, claimed the win. Yoshitomo TANI and Kosuke FUKUDOME each added two-run shot in the second and fifth innings, respectively.

Nicaragua scored two runs in the second, fourth and seventh. However, Takeo KAWAMURA went the final two and one-third innings without allowing a hit to preserve the win for Japan.

Final Score: JPN 13, NCA 6.

"I wanted today's game to be a turning point for us," said Coach Katsuji KAWASHIMA. "I wanted each player to think about his own game and start taking one swing at a time."

This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department.


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Olympic Factoid
The volunteer staff of the 1996 Olympic Games totaled 50,152. They worked an estimated 850,000 shifts.