Cuba and Nicaragua Play to Draw in First Warm-Up Game

Cuba and Nicaragua settled for a 2-2 tie after nine innings in the first game of their preparation series leading up to the VI World Baseball Classic.

It was a game in which the Cuban lineup collected nine hits and committed one error.

"I consider it was a good duel, each player fulfilled their role, and for this being the first outing of a team renewed compared to the one that participated in the Series of the Americas in Venezuela, I think it's a good result."

That's what Germán Mesa, manager of the Island's selection, told JIT, adding that the most concerning aspect of the contest were the runners left on base. "We prepared tactically to bring those runs home, and we couldn't," he expressed.

Yunieski Remón, the talented second baseman from Granma, stated that he saw pitching superior to that of our national series, "but not unbeatable. They have command of their fastball and cutter, which we don't see much in Cuba," he assured.

He added that the group looks very good and expects the series to be very interesting, with a tone similar to this first encounter.

Although the Greater Antilles lineup out-hit their adversaries, the offense had empty stretches, especially against right-hander Ángel Obando, Nicaragua's second reliever.

He managed to dominate nine consecutive batters, including seven strikeouts, out of the 11 total recorded by the Cubans.

In our judgment, pitching was the best face of the lineup managed by Mesa. They allowed only five hits, issued three walks, and retired five via strikeouts.

Raymond Figueredo, the starter, had a quality first third, in which he allowed only one hit—the home run by Omar Mendoza, the hosts' best batter in the matchup, as he was the only one with two hits.

His home run came in the second inning, bringing his team closer, and they tied it in the fourth due to a Cuban defensive lapse.

Later, the visitors' command brought in several relievers from the fourth inning onward who delivered very good work. Yunieski García, Geonel Gutiérrez, Frank Herrera, and the lightning-fast Brander Guevara held the locals in check.

Erasmo Ramírez, tasked with the opening start at Masaya's Roberto Clemente Stadium, endured the only concentration of Antillean offense in the game, which cost him two early runs in the first inning.

For the next game, at Rigoberto López Stadium, Germán Mesa announced left-hander Darío Sarduy from Villa Clara as the starter.