Game Recap-Canada vs. Cuba; 2019 Premier-12; November 5th, 2019

RHP Carlos Viera started on the mound for Cuba.

Dalton Pompey led off the game with a walk, with Wes Darvill flying out to center for the first out. Eric Wood drew a full-count walk, but Michael Saunders struck out swinging to end the inning.

RHP Phillippe Aumont started the game for Canada.

The bottom half of the first was uneventful for Cuba, as Roel Santos grounded out to Aumont, followed by Erisbel Arruebarruena and Yurisbel Gracial striking out swinging.

Charles Leblanc led off the top of the second, attempting to check on a 1-2 curve well off the plate for a called strike three. Jordan Lennerton followed with a big swing and miss on a 1-2 change, swinging very early on the pitch. Tristan Pompey was grazed by a curve to give Canada their first base-runner of the inning, but was stranded after Tosani grounded to first base for the third out. Yordanis Samon quite nearly lost the handle on the grounder, but made it to first just about a step ahead of Tosani.

In the bottom half, Aumont struck out Alfredo Despaigne looking on a 2-2 fastball middle-in to start it off, with Frederich Cepeda striking out swinging on a splitter at the knees, and Alexander Ayala grounding out to Leblanc to end the inning.

Kellin Deglan started off the third by flying out to Santos in center on the first pitch he faced. Dalton Pompey was called out on a slow 3-1 grounder, with Viera beating him to the bag by about a foot and a half. Darvill struck out to end the Canadian half of the inning.

In the bottom of the third, Samon reached base with the first hit of the game for either side, while Yosvany Alarcon weakly popped up a bunt attempt that somehow fell between Aumont and Deglan two meters in front of home plate, but was still successful in moving Samon into scoring position. Cesar Prieto went down swinging on a low splitter, and Santos grounded out to Leblanc to leave the runner stranded.

The fourth inning began with Wood sending a 2-2 outside curve to right field, perhaps a meter inside the foul line, and legging it out for a lead-off double. This would be the only extra-base hit for either team. Saunders immediately brought Wood home with a grounder off the first pitch he saw from Viera, a fastball, between third and short. Leblanc flew out to right on a curveball that hung up in the zone. Lennerton hit into what appeared to be an inning-ending double play, but Samon lost the low throw from Arruebarruena, allowing the ball to shoot past him. Lennerton advanced to second on the error.

Viera walked Tristan Pompey, who was then thrown out at third by Santos when he tried to advance on the up-the-middle grounder by Tosani, negating the run scored by Lennerton, who was still at least three meters away from home when the tag at third was made.

In the bottom of the fourth, Arruebarruena was thrown out at first thanks to a friendly bounce on the throw from Darvill at short. Gracial grounded out to Leblanc for out number two. Despaigne took two huge hacks on back-to-back sinking fastballs from Aumont after a first-pitch inside curve, then grounded out softly to Wood at third.

Deglan went down swinging on a 1-2 change to lead off the fifth. Dalton Pompey slapped a 1-1 fastball to short for the second out (6-3). Darvill struck out swinging on a 3-2 inside curve to end the inning. (Note: Viera had thrown a curve for a called strike with a 3-1 count, then went about six inches further inside and lower with the next breaking ball. Both had very tight spin and good 11-5 break.)

Aumont continued to cruise in the bottom half, having thrown only 41 pitches to this point. He retired Cepeda on a called 3-2 fastball off the outside corner that seemed to be well off the edge of the plate. Ayala quickly went down 0-2 in the count, then popped up to Darvill for the second out. Samon grounded out weakly to Leblanc to end the inning. Aumont had retired nine in a row, at this point in the game.

The sixth inning started off with Viera striking out Wood looking on an 0-2 outside curve. Saunders drew the walk after first attempting to call for time, though too late for the umpire to grant it. RHP Yariel Rodriguez then took over for Viera, with Leblanc striking out swinging on a curve in the dirt and well outside and Lennerton swinging through a fastball down the heart of the plate for the third out.

Cuba's half of the sixth began with Alarcon popping up to Leblanc for the first out. Prieto grounded out to short for out number two. Santos reached base on error when Darvill threw low to Lennerton (E6), then promptly stole second despite a very good throw from Deglan. Arruebarruena took a called first strike, then Deglan came close to gunning down Santos on the back-pick attempt before Aumont finished off the batter for the third out.

Tristan Pompey went down swinging on a low-and-inside curve in the dirt to start the seventh, though he appeared to have checked his swing. Tosoni worked the count to 3-1, but struck out swinging on a 3-2 curve down the heart of the plate. Deglan ripped a curve into right field just out of reach of a lunging Samon at first to give Canada a two-out base-runner. Dalton Pompey poked a slow grounder to second but was called out on a very close play at first while sliding into the bag.

The bottom of the seventh saw Aumont strike out Graciel on a shin-high fastball to start off the action. Despaigne grazed a 1-2 pitch that rolled about six feet up the third-base line, with Deglan throwing him out at first. Cepeda struck out swinging on a low-and-away 2-2 splitter to end the inning, as Aumont continued to cruise through the Cuba lineup.

LHP Livan Moinelo took over for Rodriguez to start the eighth. Darvill was hit in the upper right arm and left bicep by a high-and-inside fastball that got away from Moinelo. Wood beat out a slow grounder to short, though Cuba challenged the call to no avail. Saunders laid down an excellent bunt up the third-base line which Ayala had to charge just to get Saunders at first. Leblanc was immediately intentionally walked to load the bases. Lennerton flew out to left, but not deeply enough to get a runner home. Tristan Pompey took a bases-loaded, 3-2 fastball high and outside the zone to make it a 2-0 Canada lead, and Tosoni took four straight balls to walk in another run to make it 3-0.

Righty Andy Rodriguez entered the game with two outs in the top of the eighth in relief. His warm-up pitches were momentarily paused by the home plate umpire, who told Rodriguez that he had to remove the gold sticker that was still on the bill of the cap. Deglan struck out on a 1-2 curve to end the threat and a long half-inning for Cuba.

Ayala grounded out to first to start the bottom half. Samon drew the first walk given up by Aumont, who was approaching the ninety-pitch mark (88 pitches). Willian Saavedra entered the game to pinch-run for Samon. Alarcon hit a grounder to short, but a sliding Darvill couldn't keep the hard-hit ball in the infield and Saavedra advanced to second.

Whitt then paid a quick visit to Aumont, who was at 90 pitches and had lost a touch of velo off of his fastball, but he chose to stay with the big righty.

Raul Gonzalez, pinch-hitting for Prieto, flew out to Dalton Pompey in center (note: the first out recorded by a Canadian outfielder, tonight), and ended the inning on a grounder and a strong throw from Darvill.

D. Pompey hit a sharp grounder off the glove of the new second baseman Gonzalez to lead off the top half of the ninth. Darvill worked a walk off of Rodriguez, the tenth walk given up by Cuban pitchers on the night, leading to another pitching change for Cuba as righty Vladimir Garcia entered in relief. Wood greeted him by drawing yet another walk, rather abruptly ending Garcia's night.

Cuba's sixth pitcher of the game, the third of the top half of the ninth inning, would be LHP Yudiel Rodriguez, entering the game with the bases loaded and no outs. Saunders sent a fly-ball to center, too shallow to score Dalton Pompey at third, for the first out. Jonathan Malo, pinch-hitting for Leblanc, followed with a fly-out to center, as well, and Pompey was easily thrown out at home by Santos to end the inning on the 8-2 double play. (Note: While Santos had to lean back slightly to make the catch on Malo's fly-out, he made an outstanding throw to home to cut down the runner.)

RHP Scott Mathieson took over in the bottom half to close out the game, striking out Arruebarruena to start it off. Gracial grounded weakly to Darvill, whose low throw got away from Lennerton for Darvill's second error of the night, allowing Gracial to advance to second. Despaigne went down swinging on a sharp, late-breaking 3-2 slider. Mathieson quickly worked the count to 0-2 on Cepeda, then put him away on a 12-6 curve low and inside to secure the upset win for Team Canada.