In the second preparatory game for the Premier12 World Cup tournament, South Korea secured a dominant 13-3 victory over Cuba at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Saturday afternoon. The match saw Cuban volleyball player Gyselle Silva, who competes professionally in South Korea, throwing the first pitch of the game.
South Korea collected 14 hits to secure a convincing victory in front of a full crowd of 16,100 at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul during the second of two exhibition games against Cuba.
South Korea emerged victorious in Friday's match against Cuba, securing a 2-0 win as eight pitchers collaborated for a three-hit shutout. The dynamics shifted significantly in the second game, as South Korea amassed eight extra-base hits while Cuba managed 11 hits.
Yoon Dong-hee produced the first run of the game for South Korea, by hitting a solo home run against reliever Raymond Figueredo in the second inning.
Cuba equalized the score when Yoelquis Guibert hit a solo home run off Ko Young-pyo, who was South Korea's first reliever, in the third inning.
South Korea quickly answered by scoring three runs in the top of the fourth inning against the third Cuban reliever, Yusniel Padron. The rally included an RBI double by Park Seong-han, an RBI single by Hong Chang-ki, and a run-scoring double by Song Sung-mun.
Cuba narrowed the margin to 4-2 after scoring a run in the fifth inning off the right-handed reliever Um S. B. A walk to Yadil Mujica, a ground ball hit by Guibert advanced him to second base, and a single by Yoán Moncada that allowed him to score.
In the seventh inning, despite two outs, Cuba persevered and managed to score a run against left-hander Choi J. M. The Cubans drew a walk with Mujica, who was then substituted by Jeans Hardy as a pinch runner, followed by two singles that resulted in a 5-3 game. This marked the final time the Cuban team would score in the game.
With a 5-3 lead after seven innings, South Korea extended their advantage by scoring eight runs against three relievers in the eighth inning. Following Na Seung-yeup's single to make it a 6-3 game, South Korea scored three other runs upon loading the bases. Later in the inning, South Korea once again loaded the bases, resulting in Shin Min-jae and Choi Won-jun each driving in two runs to extend their lead to 13-3.
Cuba's left-handed pitcher Darío Sarduy began the game and smoothly finished the first inning, demonstrating his capability to be a key member of Cuba's rotation in the Premier12 tournament. His left-handed pitching arm is particularly valuable against a Korean team that often has up to seven left-handed batters in their lineup.
Choi Seung-yong, the starting pitcher for South Korea, pitched two scoreless innings, and the remaining seven innings were handled by six relievers who allowed eight hits.
Cuba completed the initial stage of its preparatory tour in Chinese Taipei and South Korea with a 3-3 record. This demonstrates that, even without all the usual players, the team has much potential to develop those who have less exposure to this level of competition.
The team is required to depart for Chinese Taipei this Sunday in order to complete their preparation, including matches in Taichung and Taipei, before starting their journey through Group B of the Premier12 on November 13, where they will play against the Dominican Republic.
In Group B of the Premier12 tournament, South Korea and Cuba are joined by Japan, Australia, the Dominican Republic, and Chinese Taipei, which is the host nation for the preliminary stage taking place from November 13 to 18.
The top two teams in the group will progress to the Super Round scheduled to take place in Tokyo from November 21 to 24.
South Korea emerged as the champions of the first Premier12 tournament in 2015 and secured the second position in 2019, coming behind Japan. During those editions, Cuba placed 6th and 10th, respectively, with South Korea eliminating the Cuban team on both occasions.
