By USA Baseball
Jul 5, 2019
CARY, N.C. - Cuba rallied for three runs in the ninth inning to beat the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, 6-5, Friday night at the National Training Complex. Team USA was within a strike of winning 5-4, but Cuba used three straight singles to win Game 4, their first win in the 8th Annual USA vs. Cuba International Friendship Series.
"What they did in the ninth is what we've been doing to them all series," said manager Dan McDonnell (Louisville). "Those two-out hits. Those are good hitters and they put together a good rally there in the ninth."
Yuniesky Larduet Dominguez was the hero with his walk-off single to left field to score Yosvany Alarcon Tardio. Alarcon Tardio had tied the game 5-5 by taking a two-strike offering from Team USA's Tyler Brown (Vanderbilt) to center field tie the game with two outs.
"You learn what it feels like to lose again," said McDonnell. "You hope it hurts and you come out tomorrow with a little more edge."
Team USA (3-1) led 5-3 before the ninth thanks to a go-ahead RBI single by Austin Martin (Vanderbilt) in the seventh and a perfectly placed RBI squeeze bunt by Luke Waddell (Georgia Tech) in the ninth. Spencer Torkelson (Arizona State) gave the Collegiate National Team its first lead with his second homer of the series, a solo shot to left field in the sixth inning.
Team USA extended its lead to 3-1 in the sixth when Colton Cowser (Sam Houston State) scored on a sac fly caught by the third baseman. The lead was short as Cuba quickly tied the game in the bottom of the sixth on Raul Gonzalez Isidora's two-run homer.
Reid Detmers (Louisville) started and allowed only one run on three hits in his scheduled four-inning appearance. Logan Allen (FIU) allowed two runs, both on Gonzalez Isidora's homer, in three innings of work, before Brown took the loss in the final 1 2/3 innings.
The Collegiate National Team finishes the 8th Annual USA vs. Cuba International Friendship Series at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday at the Durham Bulls Athletic Complex.
Larduet deja al campo al equipo estadounidense con esta Línea. #cuba #pelotacubana #beisbol #usabaseball https://t.co/IdUJagJsoI
— Pelota Cubana Blog (@pelotacubanausa) July 6, 2019
Cuba rallies for three runs in the bottom of the ninth to walk off #TeamUSA.
Cuba 6, USA 5 | FINAL
— USA Baseball CNT (@USABaseballCNT) July 6, 2019
Key Moments
#TeamUSA gets a big insurance run on a perfect squeeze bunt by Luke Waddell (@GTBaseball). Tyler Brown (@VandyBoys) stays in for the bottom of the ninth, looking for his second save.
USA 5, Cuba 3 | MID 9
— USA Baseball CNT (@USABaseballCNT) July 6, 2019
Notable Information
On Deck