July 4, 2008

Haarlem Baseball Week opens; USA Baseball plays Saturday

By Scott Levison, Tampa Bay Sports Net

It was a pair of one-run games to open the Haarlem Baseball Week in Haarlem, The Netherlands as Cuba edged The Netherlands Antilles 2-1and Japan squeaked by Taiwan 5-4 Friday at Pim Muller Stadium.

Cuba opened the tournament in the afternoon with a 2-1 win over The Netherlands Antilles. The Cubans, who are using this tournament to prepare for the Beijing Olympics, got on the board first in the top of the 4th when Giorvis Duvergel doubled, was advanced to 3rd on a grounder and then stole home on a double steal to give the Cubans a 1-0 lead.

The Antilleans tied it in the top of the 6th when Ardley Jansen doubled and was brought home by a single from Randolph Kirindongo.

Cuba got the eventual game-winning run in the top of the 7th when Alfredo Despaigne doubled and then scored on a single from longtime Cuban SS Eduardo Paret. Veteran Cuban receiver Jonder Martinez got the win in relief.

Taiwan's 2008 winless streak (including an 0-6 record against the USA last week) continued in the evening contest as Japan needed a come-from-behind 7th inning to edge them 5-4. A Ryoji Nakata single in the bottom of the 3rd gave Japan a 1-0 but a four-run Taiwanese 4th, aided by a pair of errors put them ahead. Japan pulled to within 4-3 in the 5th when Kyohei Iwasaki singled and went to 3rd on a Shota Ono double. Kohei Shibata brought Iwasaki home with a sac fly RBI and Ono would score on a RBI single from Nakata.

A bases-loaded walk to Nakata in the 7th forced home the tying run; a sac fly from Takuya Tsukuura made it a 5-4 game for the Japanese.

The USA opens play against Japan on Saturday in the afternoon contest; the host Dutch face the Antilleans in the evening contest.