Venezuela defeated Mexico by shutout, 4 runs to 0, on Saturday night at the Estadio Sonora to capture a U-23 World Championship in Hermosillo.
Venezuelan starter Wikelman Ramirez pitched a complete shutout , allowing just three hits on the night. The 21-year-old right-hander struck out four and baffled Mexico’s hitters throughout the night.
Two unearned runs in the first inning put Venezuela ahead.
“The fact of playing in Mexico put too much pressure on these players,” said Mexican coach Enrique Reyes. “It is a fact that we did not play well enough to beat Venezuela.”
Venezuela relied on an advantage. A barrage of extra-base hits in the third effectively put the game out of reach. Jesús Lujano opened the third with a double and scored two batters later on a sacrifice fly by Romer Cuadrano. Juan Fernández added his third home run of the tournament, leading the team, to crown the score.
The Venezuela World Championship marks the pinnacle of an incredible rise in the U-23 rankings over the years. The nation finished in eighth place in the inaugural event in 2016 before taking home the bronze medals with a third place finish at the 2018 World Cup in Colombia.
Venezuela’s last International World Championship came in 2012 when its team finished first in the U-15 Baseball World Championship.
“It’s very easy to work with these players,” Venezuela coach Carlos García said. “They came together, they worked hard, they stayed focused on our goal. And more than that, they enjoyed playing the game. “
Saturday night’s game, the first U-23 World Cup in the new seven-inning format, was played in just one hour and forty minutes.
