Venezuela defeated Puerto Rico to rise to the top of Group A in the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12 qualifiers.
On Thursday, Venezuela won 5-2 in a Group A qualifying match against Puerto Rico, held at Estadio Panamericano in Jalisco, Guadalajara, Mexico.
With a group stage record of 3 wins and 1 loss, Venezuela moved ahead of the Netherlands (2 wins, 1 loss) to take the lead in Group A.
Suppose Venezuela wins its final Group A match against the Netherlands on Friday. In that case, it will guarantee at least a second-place finish, punching its ticket to the Super Round (final four) in Tokyo.
In contrast, after winning its first game against the United States, Puerto Rico suffered three consecutive losses, eliminating it. Even if Puerto Rico wins its final match against Panama, a 2-3 record will not be enough to place them in the top two.
Venezuela’ss success was led by catcher Carlos Pérez and designated hitter Hernan Pérez, who both recorded multiple hits and drove in two runs each.
Starting pitcher Max Castillo left the mound early after allowing two runs (one earned) in two innings, but five relief pitchers took over and held Puerto Rico scoreless over seven innings.
Trailing 0-2 after allowing runs in the 1st and 2nd innings, Venezuela mounted a comeback in the bottom of the second.
Ramón Flores and Jermaine Palacios kicked things off with back-to-back walks, setting the stage for CarlosPérez’ss RBI single to get Venezuela on the board.
A sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, and with two outs, Hernán Pérez tied the game with an infield single. Diego Castillo then delivered the go-ahead hit, completing the rally.
Venezuela padded their lead with solo shots from Carlos Pérez in the fourth and Hernán Pérez in the seventh, sealing the win and strengthening their position atop Group A.