Home run propels Curacao past Venezuela at Volunteer Stadium
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A capsule look at Curacao's thrilling 2-1 comeback victory over Venezuela .
PLAY OF THE GAME -- Through the first five innings, Curacao failed to impact the scoreboard despite having multiple opportunities to do so, especially early. With the game on the line, a full count and two outs, Curacao left fielder Nasir El-Ossais had the hit of a lifetime, drilling one deep into centerfield for a two-run homer.
From there, Curacao carried its great defensive performance forward into the final inning, getting the job done
VENEZUELA PLAYER OF THE GAME -- Catcher/pitcher Arturo Sanchez was subbed in at pitcher and early, being placed in a dire, bases-loaded situation with no outs. Three at-bats later, he pitched the third strike in a half-ending strikeout, with Curacao's run total still sitting at zero.
From there, Sanchez pitched until the end of the fourth inning, concluding his day the same way he concluded the first inning. He finished the game with six strikeouts and allowed zero runs on three hits. His performance played a large role in Venezuela staying in the game.
He also contributed the lone run for the team after earning his first hit and finished the game 2 for 2 from the plate.
CURACAO PLAYER OF THE GAME -- Shortstop/pitcher Jay-Dlynn Wiel was subbed in at pitcher to close the game for the team. He pitched a solid two innings, striking out four batters and allowing just one hit and a walk.
Although he allowed two runners to get on base in the bottom of the sixth, he ultimately finished the job for the team. He also had one of the team's two runs, along with a single in the first.
BIG INNING -- In the bottom of the second inning and fourth straight half in which a defense faced bases loaded, Venezuela finally broke through in the second. With back-to-back hits to start and two walks with two outs, it scored the first run of the game and held that lead until the sixth.
BEST EFFORT -- After obtaining its 1-0 lead, Venezuela found itself in a rough spot when Curacao centerfielder Joshua Acosta Fernandez drilled a ball to centerfield with two runners already on base. But Leonard Contreras launched the ball all the way to catcher Adrian Soto, who managed to tag JayDlynn Wiel out to maintain its lead.
FLASHING LEATHER -- Through the first two innings of the game, each defense dealt with the bases being loaded. Apart from the second inning for Curacao, where it gave up a single run, the defenses managed to escape the halves unscathed.
There wasn't a single error throughout the game, as the outfields for both squads managed to make clutch play after clutch play, keeping a game that featured 10 total hits to a score of 2-1.
WHAT THE ADULTS SAY -- "I told them to forget this game, it was a tough loss," said Venezuela manager Jannio Gutierrez through a translator. "They should take it a game at a game. I'm going to talk to them about the next game where they're facing a very good opponent in Mexico. I want them to just focus on the tournament and getting back on track."
WHAT THE KIDS SAY -- "It's good because last year was our first time and this year we have experience," said Curacao's Jay-Dlynn Wiel through a translator. "Last year, people didn't know about us. After last year, they started to notice us and knew where Curacao was."
"It was amazing," said Curacao left fielder Nasir El-Ossais through a translator.
WHAT IT MEANS -- Venezuela drops to 1-1 in the tournament and will face Mexico on Tuesday, where it'll look to avoid elimination. Curacao will face the winner of Chinese Taipei and Japan on Wednesday, and now sits one win away from the International Championship.