BASEBALL Cuba beat Australia 6-2 to win gold medal

XATHENS, Greece -- With a relentless, balanced offense, Cuba rolled over upstart Australia 6-2 Wednesday night to win the gold medal -- its third in four tries since the sport gained Olympic status.
The Cubans pounded out 13 hits, including a two-run home run by Frederich Cepeda, a two-run double by Eduardo Parent and a two-run single by Eriel Sanchez.
With the United States failing to even make the eight-team field, Cuba had been expected to vie for the gold medal with a Japanese "dream team" stocked with top pros. But Australia stunned the favored Japanese 1-0 in the semifinals, making the Aussies' first-ever baseball medal a silver.
Openly frustrated by its loss, Japan routed Canada 11-2 Wednesday afternoon to win the bronze medal.
In the game for the gold, Cepeda opened the scoring in the fourth inning with his home run to right-center.
Australian left fielder Paul Gonzalez cut the margin to 2-1 with a lead-off homer in the fifth. That was the first run in the tournament off Cuban starter Norge Luis Vera, who had pitched 13 scoreless innings over three games, and it prompted Cuba to turn to its bullpen.
Relievers Vicyohandri Odelin and Adiel Palma walked the bases loaded. But -- with two outs and a full count -- Australia's Brendan Kingman took a third strike from Palma, who pitched into the ninth and earned the victory.
Cuba put the game away in sixth, knocking out Australian starter John Stephens -- a Boston Red Sox farm hand -- with four straight singles, the last a ground smash by Sanchez driving in two runs. With two out, Parent doubled down the third base line, driving in two more runs to make it 6-1.
Gonzalez picked up his second RBI for Australia in the eighth inning with a single after two men walked. In the bottom of the ninth, Gavin Fingleson and Brett Roneberg led off with singles; catcher Dave Nilsson then flied out to the deepest part of center field, and reliever Danny Betancourt induced a foul pop and struck out Kingman to end the game.
Associated Press
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