Mexico earn first Premier12 2024 win over Puerto Rico
Mexico earned on Sunday their first win of the WBSC Premier12 Presented by RAXUS behind a good performance by the bullpen, and a 3-for-4 night from Alonso Gaitan. The hosts defeated Puerto Rico, 7-5, and after two days of competition all teams are tied with 1-1 in the standings.
Mexico jumped ahead in the first inning with a three-run shot by Jose Rojas. Alonso Gaitan drew a lead-off walk, followed by a single from Andres Alvarez. Then Rojas sent an off-speed pitch over the right field wall to give the hosts a 3-0 advantage.
In the third inning Puerto Rico's lineup put together four runs on five hits off starter Wilmer Rios, including three consecutive doubles by Javier Vaz, Sabin Ceballos and Carlos Cortes. Rios was pulled after 2.2 innings, giving up six hits and four runs while striking out two.
However, Mexico stormed back in their fourth at bat, with a two-run double by Alonso Gaitan and a run-scoring single by Andres Alvarez. And in the sixth, Gaitan again produced a run with a single to right field, giving Mexico a 7-4 lead.
Mexico's bullpen was flawless over four innings, as Luis Rodriguez (2 IP), Gerardo Reyes (1.1 IP), and Victor Gonzalez (0.2 IP) combined to keep Puerto Rico hitless from the bottom the third to the seventh frame, when the Boricuas scored one after back-to-back singles by Carlos Cortes and Ezequiel Pagan.
"Wilmer wasn’t having his best night, but he fought and fought and fought. Incredible work from the bullpen," Mexican manager Benjamin Gil said. "Luis Rodriguez did an excellent job, Gerardo Reyes did an excellent job, Gonzalez also pitched well, despite giving up a run. He hadn’t pitched since September. Cruz was fantastic, and Alanis closed the game with three strikeouts."
Mexican lead-off hitter Alonso Gaitan was the key for the host team offence. He went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs scored and a walk. "I’m happy to represent Mexico and to achieve my first win. It’s also my first time representing Mexico in any category," he said. "Contributing with this great game helps us gain confidence, something we struggled with a bit yesterday. Now we know what we have to do after yesterday's talk, and we're happy with the win."
"It was a great game. We’re playing against a strong team like Mexico. When you play against good teams, you can’t afford to make mistakes," said Juan Gonzalez. "We had the opportunity to capitalize, but we didn’t. Mexico's pitching was impeccable. Their last two pitchers were flawless. They struck out 6, I believe, of the last 7 batters. It was a great game, nothing less."
With today's results, all six teams are tied in the standings with a 1-1 record.
"We’re all tied, so now it effectively becomes a three-game tournament. Of course, the other games matter, but our focus is to play a good game. If we play well, I’m confident we’ll win," said Gil. "I’m advising the players to do what they know best - to play good baseball. We’ll take it day by day, focusing on what we do rather than worrying about what happens in the afternoon game or in Tepic. Our concern is how we perform in the game."
"Everyone knows this is a very tough tournament. For us, being 1-1 right now is great because we're playing against the two teams that I think are the favourites, USA and Mexico," mentioned Gonzalez. "Now we need to give our best in the upcoming games and do our best to win. But it’s a highly competitive tournament; it's not easy as some might think. It's very competitive, and anyone can beat anyone."