Armando Johnson’s team was unable to prevail against the current champions and number one in the world ranking with only one win and three losses, losing all hope of getting a spot in the next round.
The samurais from the Land of the Rising Sun connected a total of eight hits to impose their favoritism, achieve their fourth victory in the same number of outings and secure a place in the super round to be played in their country from the 20th to the 24th of this month, where Venezuela and the United States, classified by the American group, await them. From the second inning, when starter Raymond Figueredo hit one opponent, walked another and allowed an RBI single by designated hitter Keita Sano, the team led by Hirokazu Ibata took control.
Two hits and a walk decreed the explosion of the right-hander from the capital in the second inning and if the Asians only scored one run it was due to the great rescue of Geonel Gutierrez, who struck out two of his opponents.
The left-hander accepted one in the fourth when two rockets hit him and another in the fifth driven in by a hit by Shugo Maki off a pitch from his substitute Frank Luis Medina.
With Dario Sarduy on the mound the Japanese hit their third sacrifice fly of the game to bring home their fifth run and take a lead that seemed unreachable, but the Cubans started a riot closing the second third of the game.
A three-run package, all on the account of starter Takahita Hayakawa, was produced by the Antilleans thanks to a double by Yadir Drake (he went 3-for-5 with two RBIs) and consecutive homers by Erisbel Arruebarrena and pinch-hitter Yoan Moncada.
The team management placed their ace Liván Moinelo on the mound (suffering from health problems) and he allowed a hit, hit a pitch and gave away a couple of walks, one of them with the corners congested, so that their opponents could once again take the lead on the scoreboard.
In the so-called lucky chapter, a throwing error by reliever and winner Tatsuya Shimizu caused the home plate doors to open twice and the Cuban team tied the score, but the samurai scored the definitive lead in the eighth inning, unearned on the account of the defeated Moinelo due to a blunder by Arruebarruena and another sacrifice fly, this one by Ryoya Kurihara.
When it was time to pick up the bats, Cuba continued to fight and filled the bases with hit-by-pitch hits and singles by Alfredo Despaigne and Ariel Martínez, but closer Shoma Fujijira struck out Moncada and Andy Cosme to put an end to the story.
The team from the largest island in the Caribbean will bid farewell to the tournament tomorrow with the game against the locals from Chinese Taipei, scheduled for 18:30 local time (05:30 in Cuba), at the Taipei Dome.
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