Panama got off to a poor start in the World Baseball Classic, losing their debut match 3-1 to Cuba in Group A, hosted at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Panamanian team struggled at the plate again, managing only five hits and failing to deliver the timely hit in their few scoring opportunities. Panama was only effective with runners on base in the bottom of the seventh inning. After Leonardo Bernal singled and stole second base, Johan Camargo lined a hit to left field, scoring Bernal. Another area where Panama faltered was in baserunning, with errors occurring on a couple of occasions. Panama's starting pitcher, Logan Allen, took the loss. In 3.0 innings, he allowed 5 hits, 3 runs (all earned), no walks, and struck out 5 batters. For Panama, Edmundo Sosa went 4-for-1 with a double, Leonardo Bernal went 3-for-2, Johan Camargo went 3-for-1 with an RBI, and José Ramos went 3-for-1 with a double. Cuba scored 3 runs on 5 hits with 1 error, while Panama scored 1 run on 5 hits with 0 errors. Tomorrow, Saturday, Panama will play its second tournament game against Puerto Rico at 6:00 PM Panama time. Ariel Jurado, who plays in the Korean professional league, has been announced as the starting pitcher.
