The WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup Day 5 closed the Opening Round in Hermosillo, Mexico. The three last remaining spots in the six-team Super Round were secured on Tuesday, as Japan, Panama and Puerto Rico joined Cuba, Chinese Taipei and USA in qualifying for the next phase of competition.
Will Soto produced three RBIs and scored three runs to lead Puerto Rico to a 13-0, five-inning victory against Guam, booking his squad a place in the Super Round. The win secured second place in Group C for Puerto Rico, who will open the Super Round with a 0-1 record as a result of their loss to group winner USA.
In a roller-coaster game, Japan completed a sweep of Group B with a 7-4 win over Colombia to advance to the Super Round. A bases-clearing double by Yamato Hanashima capped Japan’s comeback in the last inning. Japan's win also secured a Super Round spot for Group B second-place squad, Panama.
In a game that closed Group A and counted toward the Super Round standings, Cuba defeated Chinese Taipei, 3-2. Both teams had already qualified for the next round, but the game decided the winner of the group, and subsequently which of the two teams would start the Super Round with an unbeaten record.
Jose Poito and Juan Martinez drove in three runs each, while Aaron Arroyo (4) and Aaron Piñero (3) combined for seven runs scored in Venezuela’s 15-1 win over South Africa. Both Venezuela and South Africa will continue in the Placement Round.
Cuba 3-2 Chinese Taipei
Bottom 6th - CUB 3-2 TPE: Tien-Szu Huan hits an RBI single, cutting Cuba's lead to one.
Top 6th - CUB 3-1 TPE: Cuba takes the lead with a pair of runs in the sixth. Jonathan Valle and Segian Perez with the RBI.
Top 2nd - CUB 1-1 TPE: With the bases loaded and no outs, Yu-Yu Ai came in in relief and struck out the next three batters, but a dropped strikeout allowed Cuba tie the game.
Bottom 1st - CUB 0-1 TPE: Hsing-Kai Wang hit a single down the left field line to produce the first run of the game. Chinese Taipei jumps ahead, 1-0.
Japan 7-4 Colombia
Top 7th - JPN 7-4 COL: Japan's bats come alive. The top-ranked team in the world scores five, including a bases-clearing double by Yamato Hanashima.
Top 6th - JPN 2-4 COL: Rui Yano hits an RBI single to cut Colombia's lead to two runs.
Bottom 5th - JPN 1-4 COL: Colombia takes advantage of bad defensive plays to overtake Japan and take a three-run lead.
Top 3rd - JPN 1-0 COL: Kenta Hatakenaka scores the first run of the game on a fielder's choice. Japan takes the early lead.
Venezuela 15-1 South Africa
Top 5th - VEN 15-1 RSA: An RBI single by Luis Cova plates the 15th run of the game for Venezuela.
In the fourth inning, Venezuela added two more runs, while South Africa gets on the scoreboard as Joshua Botha singled and scored.
Top 3rd - VEN 12-0 RSA: A series of walks capped by a two-run single by Juan Martinez gives Venezuela a 12-0 lead.
Top 2nd - VEN 9-0 RSA: Venezuela extends the lead to nine, with three more runs in the second. Jose Pinto and Deynis Gonzalez register RBI hits.
Top 1st - VEN 6-0 RSA: Venezuela puts together eight hits, including three for extra bases, to jump ahead.
Guam 0-13 Puerto Rico
Five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning give Puerto Rico a run-rule victory over Guam, 13-0.
Bottom 3rd - GUM 0-8 PUR: Puerto Rico scores three more with three hits to make it 8-0.
Bottom 2nd - GUM 0-5 PUR: Puerto Rico scores four runs in the bottom of the second, with a two-run double off the bat of Will Soto, who scores on a wild pitch. The fourth run of the inning is scored by Francis Garcia.
Bottom 1st - GUM 0-1 PUR: Juliomar Campos hits an RBI triple to give Puerto Rico the early advantage. A win for Puerto Rico secures the Caribbean team a ticket into the Super Round.
