WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup 2024: Walk-off win for Puerto Rico; Chinese Taipei, Japan stay undefeated; Dominican Republic, Netherlands secure first win

Day Two of the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup 2024 in Colombia ended in dramatic fashion on Saturday with Puerto Rico clinching a 7-6 walk-off win in extra innings against the hosts Colombia in Barranquilla for their second victory in as many games. Japan is also undefeated in Group A after a thrilling 8-3 win against Italy, which went to the second extra innings.

In Group B, Chinese Taipei defeated Venezuela, 6-1, and is on top in Group B with Mexico and the Netherlands holding a 1-1 win-loss record.

Jean Rosa went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and one run scored, including the walk-off single in the bottom of the eighth to lift Puerto Rico over Colombia in the bottom of the eighth inning. Rosa is our Player of the Day.

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Key Links

• Tournament Site
• Schedule/live scoring
• Live Streaming
• Live clips on X
• Videos
• Photos
• WBSC/KONAMI Men's Baseball World Ranking

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The Dominican Republic clinched their first win of the tournament in a game that was decided since the first inning. The Caribbean squad collected 21 hits to beat Guam, 38-1, in Barranquilla.

Miguel Grullon had video-game numbers, going 5-for-5 with five RBIs and five runs scored. He also walked twice. Angel Nuñez went 3-for-4 with six RBIs and four runs. Frandely Rodriguez (3-for-5) had four RBIs.

Jorge Jimenez, Franly Anglero and Starlin De los Santos combined to no-hit Guam in the game. De los Santos earned the win in 1.2 innings of work.

The second game in Barranquilla saw Japan defeat Italy, 8-3, in a nine-inning thriller and claimed their second win of the tournament. The game was an outstanding pitching duel that remained scoreless until the second extra inning, when Japan scored their eight runs of the game.

After scoring 12 runs on Friday, Japan needed 8.1 innings to score against Italy, in Saturday's Group A game. A walk and a defensive error opened the door to a big inning for Japan, who collected seven hits in the game.

Italy wasted an absolute gem from their starter, Federico Magalotti. The left-handed pitcher tossed seven scoreless innings, giving up four hits while allowing four hits. 

On the other side of the field, Shinjiro Ishige and Mitsuki Tokura combined to pitch eight scoreless frames. Ishige worked around six walks while striking out five in 4.1 innings; while Tokura fanned five in 3.2 frames.

A late-game attack helped Chinese Taipei improve to 2-0 after defeating Venezuela 6-1 in Cartagena.

First basemen Ren-Ruei Wu had an almost-perfect performance, hitting 3-4 with 3 RBIs and one run.

Chinese Taipei will face Mexico in a powerhouse match up to close the third day of action on Sunday, while Venezuela will look for their first win against South Africa.

In the last game in Cartagena de Indias, the Netherlands clinched a thrilling 3-2 win over Mexico in the first ever game between the two nations at a WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup.

With the Netherlands holding a 1-0 lead from the first inning before going ahead 2-0 thanks to Fran-Jean Haseth’s insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, Alex Tolosa hit an RBI single and Francisco Del Campo’s sac fly tied the game for Mexico at 2-2.

The Netherlands struck right back at their next turn at bat with Lodimar Cathalina opening the seventh inning with a double, before advancing to third on a Davey-Jay Rijke single, and then scoring on a sacrifice fly by Raigelnon Ogenia.

Davey-Jay Ruke then kept the Mexican bats silent in the last inning.

The game was tight right from the start with both team's pitchers excelling in the first five innings of the game. Netherlands' Justin Hernandez only allowed a hit and a walk, with three strikeouts. For Mexico, Diego Serna and Jose Vega didn’t give up a hit, pitching two and three innings respectively. Serna had five strikeouts, while Vega three.

Saturday's schedule ended in great fashion with Puerto Rico clinching a 7-6 walk-off win in extra innings against Colombia, after a spectacular comeback in front of a great crowd at Edgar Renteria Stadium. A walk-off single by Jean Rosa in the bottom of the eighth inning secured the win for the Caribbean squad.

Puerto Rico recovered from a 5-1 deficit in the top of the third, tied the game in the fifth, and completed the comeback in the bottom of the eighth. 

Rosa went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and one run scored. Anthony Badillo hit 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs. From the mound, Jomar Rivera claimed the win, retiring the last five outs of the game.

Puerto Rico remain undefeated after two games, while Colombia now have a 1-1 record.

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Key News

• Day 1: Nicaragua beat Venezuela, Japan overcome Dominican Republic; Mexico, Puerto Rico, Chinese Taipei, Colombia also win
• WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup starts Friday: National pride, winning ambition & building foundation for development - common themes among managers
• WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup broadcast rights awarded in eight countries and territories; GameTime streaming to the rest of the world
• 10 Things to Know about the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup 2024
• WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup historical preview: Intense contest in store for World Championship title
• Key numbers of the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup
• The Colombian Caribbean greets the baseball world with open arms in Barranquilla & Cartagena de Indias

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Netherlands 3 - 2 Mexico - Boxscore

Top 7th - Netherlands take the lead again. Lodimar Cathalina opened the inning with a double, advanced to third on a Davey-Jay Rijke single, and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Raigelnon Ogenia. Netherlands lead 3-2 now.

Bottom 6th - Mexico tied the game in the sixth. Alex Tolosa hit an RBI single and Francisco Del Campo tied the game with a sac fly. The game is now 2-2.

Top 6th - Netherlands add an insurance run and is now leading 2-0. Fran-Jean Haseth walked and moved to second on a sac bunt. He scored from there with a single by Kayden Leer. It was Netherlands' first hit of the game.

Both team's pitchers have excelled in the first four innings of the game. Netherlands' Justin Hernandez has allowed only a hit and a walk, with three strikeouts. For Mexico, Diego Serna and Jose Vega hasn't allowed a hit yet, pitching two innings each. Serna had five strikeouts, while Vega has 2.

Top 1st - Netherlands strike first in the game. With the bases loaded, Kayden Leer was hit by a pitch producing the first run of the game. Mexico's starter Diego Serna struggled with his control, hitting two players, walking one more and pitching two wild pitches.

• Game 12 - 19:00,  Once de Noviembre Stadium, Cartagena.
• NED - #3 -  Justin Hernandez  RHP
• MEX - #55 -  Diego Humberto Serna Castelo  LHP

Preview - To close the day in Cartagena, the Netherlands and Mexico will lock horns at 7 pm. Both teams ended their games before seven innings yesterday, Mexico winning in five, Netherlands losing in six. This will be their first-ever game in this competition since these two teams have never participated in the same U-15 Baseball World Cup before.

Colombia 6 - 7 Puerto Rico - Boxscore

We're tied, 6-6, after seven complete innings and we're going to extras. It's the second consecutive extra-inning game at Edgar Renteria Stadium in Barranquilla.

Bottom 5th - Bradley Rodriguez walked, and back to back RBI-doubles by Adniel Quiles and Anthony Badillo tie the game for Puerto Rico. The game is now 6-6.

Top 5th - Colombia earned a two-run lead on a sac fly from Santiago Blanco. The game is now 6-4.

Both teams had multiple runs in the third inning. Colombia took the lead again in the top half of the inning with four runs, led by a Luis Miranda triple, and RBIs by Ander Elorriaga and Omar Marrugo and Santiago Blanco. Puerto Rico answered with three on their own, highlighted by a two-run double by Jean Rosa, and a run-scoring single by Edward Pineiro. The game is now 5-4 for the hosts.

Bottom 2nd - Puerto Rico tied the game. Anthony Badillo scored on a bases-loaded walk by Arnaldo Rodriguez and the game is now 1-1.

Top 1st - Sebastian Solano reached on a two-out throwing error and moved to second. And then scored on a single by Andre Elorriaga. Colombia take the lead in the game.

• Game 11 - 19:00, Edgar Renteria Stadium, Barranquilla.
• COL - #52 -  Luis Mateo Garces  LHP
• PUR - #26 -  Hanley Rosa  RHP

Preview - After last night's debut in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia move to Barranquilla to play against Puerto Rico their second game of Group A. This will be their first game in this age bracket. Both teams had a triumphant debut in the tournament, but only one of them will remain undefeated. They didn't meet in 2022 when Puerto Rico made their debut in the U-15 World Cup. First pitch at 7 pm.

Venezuela 1 - 6 Chinese Taipei - Boxscore

Bottom 6th - Chinese Taipei scored four and get a comfortable lead in the game. A bases loaded walk, a wild pitch and a two-run single by Ren-Ruei Wu allowed Chinese Taipei get a 6-1 advantage.

Bottom 5th - Zi-Jin Zu led off the inning with a single, and stole second base. Cheng-Yu Shih was intentionally walked, and Ren-Ruei Wu singled in Zi-Jin Zu to give the Asian champions the lead again.

Top 5th - Venezuela tied the game. Erinyer Barcelo drew a one-out walk. One out later, he went from first top third on a single by Abel Hidalgo and scored on a throwing error in the same play. The game is now 1-1.

Bottom 2nd - Chinese Taipei take the lead. Ren-Ruei Wu hit a lead-off single and advanced to second in the same play on an error by center fielder Francisco Renteria. Moved to third on a wild pitch, and then scored with a sac fly by Wei Lin. Chinese Taipei is leading, 1-0.

• Game 10 - 15:00, Once de Noviembre Stadium, Cartagena.
• VEN - #9  -  Yuney Peraza  RHP
• TPE - #42 -  Jen-Yu Liu  LHP

Preview - The second game of the day at 11 de Noviembre Stadium in Cartagena will see Venezuela and Chinese Taipei going head to head. The two powerhouses had different outings yesterday, with the Asians grabbing an easy win over Netherlands, and the South Americas losing to Nicaragua. They played for the last time in Iwaki, Japan, on 1 August 2016 with a 10-8 Venezuela triumph over Chinese Taipei.

Japan 8 - 3 Italy - Boxscore

Top 9th - Japan take control of the game with a big eight-run inning. A walk and a defensive error by second baseman Pablo Suarez opened the door for a huge rally in the second extrainning of the game. The inning was capped by a two-run single by Yuga Arai and a two-RBI double by Shoki Ayashi. Japan in front, 8-0.

Bottom 8th - A balk advances Italy's two runners into scoring position. But Mitsuki Tokura struck out two, and forced Patrick Silva to a grounder to first base, to escape the jam. We go to the ninth, still scoreless.

Top 8th - Federico Magalotti pitched seven innings, giving up only four hits while striking out four. Manfredi Gambera replaces him in the top of the eight. Gambera kept Japan scoreless on a forced play and two fly balls to left field. The game is still 0-0.

Bottom 7th - We're going to extras. The gane is still 0-0.

Bottom 5th - Shinjiro Ishige pitched extremely well in the first four inngins, allowing only two hits in that span. However, in the fifth got into trouble walking three batters, leaving the mound with the bases loaded with one out. Mitsuki Tokura came in in relief and struck out Francesco Carlini for the second out and retired Patrick Silva on a fly ball to left field. The game remain scoreless.

Top 5th - It's been an intense pitching duel between Italian lefty Federico Magalotti and Japanese southpaw Shinjiro Ishige. Magalotti has struck out three in five innings, while giving up four hits.

• Game 9 - 15:00,  Edgar Renteria Stadium, Barranquilla.
• JPN - #17-  Shinjiro Ishige  LHP
• ITA  - #25 -  Federico Magalotti  LHP

Preview - Today's schedule in Barranquilla continues with Japan and Italy facing each other at Edgar Renteria Stadium at 3 pm. Yesterday, Japan won a three-hour marathon against Dominican Republic, in spite of issuing eight walks. They need to pitch better if they want to contend in the tournament. Italy lost to Colombia last night in Cartagena and moved to Barranquilla for the rest of the Opening Round. The last time these two squads collided in the U-15 Baseball World Cup was on 9 August 2014, when Japan downed Italy, 4-0, in the last day of the Placement Round.

Nicaragua 18 - 1 South Africa - Play by play

The game between Nicaragua and South Africa has not officially concluded. The game will resume on Sunday, August 18th, at 13:30 (local time), at Once de Noviembre Stadium (or 45 minutes after the end of Game 14), from the end of the 4th inning with a score NCA 18 – RSA 1.

Top 4th - Nicaragua keep scoring multiple runs, this time a three-run rally to make it 18-1. Luis Garcia and Jean Catin highlighted the inning with a pair of doubles. 

Top 3rd - Another big inning for Nicaragua. They scored six runs on six hits, including a two-run triple off the bat of Junior Gomez, and back to back doubles by Ludell Espinoza and Johan Saravia. The game is now 15-1.

Top 2nd - Nicaragua break the game open with a five-run second inning. Three hits and two errors allowed the Central American team to score five. Enyel Gonzalez hit an RBI double and is now 2-for-2, with two RBIs.

Bottom 1st - Jamie Moran and Ryan Kuyk walked with one out, and loaded the bases on a single by Luca Orgill, but South Africa only scored once on a passed ball. Howard Moya replaced Evan Da Souza in the mound for Nicaragua, and ended the threat with only two pitches, forcing Joshua Cook to a double play grounder. The game now is 4-1.

Top 1st - Nicaragua take an early lead in the game scoring four in their first offensive opportunity. Enyel Gonzalez contributed with an RBI single, while Eddy Coronado (double) and Johan Saravia (lead-off single) had the other two hits of the inning. Nicaragua is in front, 4-0.

• Game 8 - 10:30,  Once de Noviembre Stadium, Cartagena.
• NCA - #26 -  Evan Da Souza  RHP
• RSA - #22 -  Cameron Combrink  RHP

Preview - For Group B, Nicaragua and South Africa will open the day in Cartagena de Indias with the same starting time. The Central American team clinched yesterday a very important win against Venezuela and seek to remain undefeated in the tournament. South Africa, which opened yesterday in Barranquilla and moved to Cartagena for the rest of the Opening Round, is looking for their first win in the tournament.

Dominican Republic 38 - 1 Guam - Boxscore

Top 5th - Three more for Dominican Republic. it's now 38-1.

Top 4th - Dominican Republic scored 26 runs in the inning. The score is 35-1.

Bottom 3rd - Jaydin Martinez and Theano Jones draw back to back base on balls with one out, and Dominican pitcher Jorge Jimenez is pulled from the game. They are the first two runners for Guam in the game. Franly Anglero take the ball, but a pair of balks allow Guam to score their first run of the tournament. The game now is 9-1.

Top 3rd - A stand-up double to right field off the bat of Miguel Grullon drove in Dominican Republic's ninth run of the game. 

Top 2nd - Gustavo Talmare extends Dominican Republic's lead on a Francisco De Marchena grounder to third base. The Dominicans now are winning 8-0. 

Top 1st - Dominican Republic scored seven times in the first inning to take a comfortable lead in the game. Six walks, three hits and a few mental lapses in defence allowed the Caribbean squad to score seven runs in their first at bat. The game is now 7-0.

• Game 7 - 10:30, Edgar Renteria Stadium, Barranquilla.
• DOM - #35 -  Jorge Jimenez  RHP
• GUM - #14 -  Gavin Alcantara  RHP

Preview - In Barranquilla, the day will open at 10:30 am with the game between Dominican Republic and Guam, a matchup that never happened before in this tournament. Yesterday, both teams opened the tournament with a loss and will aim to bounce back and get the first win.