Dannel Diaz led Cuba to a 3-1 win in a pitcher’s duel against Chinese Taipei on Thursday morning in Chihuahua, Mexico. They improved to 3-0 in the second round of the I IBAF 15U Baseball World Championship, looking to reach the Gold Medal Game. For Chinese Taipei it was the second loss in as many days.
Diaz allowed just one hit, an unearned run and two walks in nine dominant innings. He struck out seven batters and produced 16 outs on the ground. With his performance he out-pitched Shun Chi Lin, who was charged with six hits, three runs (2 ER) and four base on balls in eight frames.
Cuba scored the first run in the opening period, when Yordan Alvarez doubled home Orlando Martinez. In the sixth it was Alvarez who would score the second run on a triple by Luis Robert. In the eighth, again Alvarez crossed the plate this time on a sac fly by Alejandro Rivero. A throwing error by first baseman Shao Fei Haung led to the lone Chinese Taipei run in the top of the eighth.
