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• 06 / 24 / 2008

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First baseman Alexander Malleta had three hits Saturday —two of them opposite field homers—, and five RBIs, during the opening game victory of the Cuban national team, 8-3, over the Santa Barbara Foresters.

The visitors tied the score briefly, thanks to a double by catcher Cameron Rupp off starter Elier Sánchez with two men on the base. The long drive hit the center field fence.

Vicyohandry Odelín was the winner but gave up a homer to Rupp. Relievers Yadier Pedroso and Miguel Lahera finished the game without trouble.
The line-up

The game drew a good crowd despite the unusually 4 p.m. game time and coinciding with the transmission of the European Cup soccer on television. The lineup used by manager Antonio Pacheco was as follows.

Giorvis Duvergel (cf) was the lead off hitter, followed by Michel Enríquez (3b), Yulieski Gourriel (2b), Alexander Malleta (1b), Frederich Cepeda (DH), Alexei Bell (rf), Yoandry Urgellés (lf), Ariel Pestano (c) and Eduardo Paret (ss). There were no substitutions, Paret also homered, while Cepeda, Urgellés and Pestano went hitless.

Cuba beat the Foresters 9-5 in game two of the exhibition series on Sunday with Yulieski Gonzalez the winning pitcher.

Harvey Schiller of the US, president of the International Baseball Association of (IBAF), arrives on Monday in Havana, the first time since he assumed the position in July of 2006. Schiller is scheduled to attend the final Cuba-Santa Barbara Forester game starting at 8 p.m.

(Juventud Rebelde)