In their first chance Puerto Rico today earned their first-ever win in a WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup, after a 7-0 victory over powerhouse Venezuela at Sonora Stadium in Hermosillo. The game was called in the fourth inning due to Venezuela’s inability to field nine players on the field.
The game remained scoreless for two innings. In the third, Juliomar Campos produced the first run of the game with a grounder to third base, allowing Orlando Cruz to score from third. Then Gustavo Meléndez added one more on a wild pitch. Puerto Rico added four more in the fourth, including a two-run single by Campos.
Gerant Vega pitched four scoreless innings for Puerto Rico, with a pair of strikeouts.
In the top of the fifth, with Puerto Rico leading 7-0, the game was called. Venezuelan catcher Deynis Gonzalez suffered a heat stroke, leaving Juan Morales without replacement players in the bench to complete the team. Venezuela fielded a short roster on Day 1, with addition players flying in for tomorrow's game.
