Juan Jose Pepe had a night to remember at Nafaldo Cargnel Stadium in the WBSC U-23 Men's Softball World Cup, pitching the tournament’s first-ever no-hitter and leading Argentina to a much-needed win against Czechia, 2-0. The Argentine right-hander retired the first 18 batters he faced and tallied 19 strikeouts.
Pepe tossed a gem when Argentina needed him most, pitching six perfect innings, retiring 18 batters with 19 strikeouts.
He got into trouble in the seventh, starting the inning with two full-count walks, putting the potential tying run on base. However, he settled in and closed the game with three consecutive strikeouts, leaving two runners in scoring position.
Argentina scored their only runs in the second inning. Lucio Retamar led off with a single to right field, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored the first run of the game with an RBI single by Khalil Luna, who advanced to second with the throw. One pitch later, Alejo Muñoz brought him in with a single to right field.
Argentina posted their first win of the tournament and now has a 1-2 record.
