(Press release; WBSC-AMERICAS).- The Central American qualifier came to an end with Nicaragua's victory against Honduras in the finals, while Costa Rica did the same against Guatemala, to win third place.
Nicaragua complied convincingly before its fans, finishing undefeated with a 13-1 victory over Honduras in the duel that defined not only the championship, but also the ticket to the Central American and Caribbean Games.
Meanwhile, Costa Rica reached the podium and the bronze medal of the event by achieving a 4-0 shutout victory against Guatemala, a close game that was decided by the pitchers.
Costa Rica had ten hits and Guatemala made five errors. Despite this, they could barely score four runs, but the Costa Rican pitching shut down any offensive attempt by their rival.
Pablo Jackson struck out eleven in eight innings while allowing eight hits and four walks to earn the win. Taylor Escoto pitched one inning for the save, issuing one walk and striking out one.
Offensively, Kenner Sandoval stood out by going 2-for-3 with a run scored, Iván Torres also went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Manuel Mendez went 2-for-4 with a RBI.
For its part, Nicaragua settled the game in the third inning, with five runs scored in the frame, to eventually comfortably beat Honduras, taking advantage of its eleven-hit attack and three errors from their rival.
Offensively Juan Montes stood out going 3-for-4 with four runs scored, while Cheslor Cuthbert went 1-for-4 with a run scored and four RBIs. Isaac Bernard also stood out, going 2-for-2 with two walks, two RBIs and four runs scored.
In conclusion, Nicaragua will travel to the Central American and Caribbean Games by winning the trophy, the podium is completed by Honduras and Costa Rica.
(Media Management; WBSC-AMERICAS)