Cuba Eliminates Mexico and Stays Alive in 2009 WBC

HAVANA, Cuba, March 17 (acn) Cuba avoided elimination from the 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC) and sent Mexico home instead with a 7-4 win at the Petco Park in San Diego on Monday night.

After having lost to Japan 0-6 in the second-round opener on Sunday, the Cubans needed a victory to stay in the event and they succeeded thanks to good pitching performances by starter Norge Luis Vera and reliever Pedro Luis Lazo and an excellent 11-hit offense that was led by
Frederich Cepeda with three hi ts in four at-bats, including a three-run
double, four RBIs and a run.

Cuba scored in the first inning on a pair of two-out walks and Yulieski Gourriel’s run-scoring single that hit the mound and bounced into center field, then made it 2-0 two innings later by bunching three singles.

Mexico answered quickly, tying the score on a two-out RBI single by Freddy Sandoval in the third and Scott Hairston's bases-loaded groundout in the fourth.

But Cepeda broke the game open an inning later with a three-run double to center.

Cuba added two more in the seventh on a two-run triple by Yoennis Cespedes while Mexico closed out the scoring with solo homers by Jorge Cantu in the eighth and Christian Presichi in the ninth off Cuba’s Pedro Luis Lazo.

In addition to Cepeda, leadoff hitter Leonys Martin, making his first start of the tournament, and second baseman Hector Olivera had two hits each, as did Gourriel.

Now, Cuba will face the winner of Tuesday’s Japan-South Korea match in another elimination game on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, also on Monday, Venezuela became the first semifinalist of the tournament after a 2-0 hard-fought win over the Puerto Ricans, who will face the United States on Tuesday. The winner will advance to semifinals while the loser will exit the event.

(Cuba derrotó a México y continúa en el Clásico)