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Little League, big bat

DeJesus' 5 RBIs helps Puerto Rico beat Canada

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Posted: Monday August 23, 1999 03:28 PM

Puerto Rico's Francisco de Jesus watches his three-run homer leave the premises in the third inning. AP

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) - Cristian Gonzalez scored the winning run on Mike Saunders' throwing error and Francisco DeJesus drove in five runs with a home run and a double Monday as Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, beat Victoria, British Columbia, 6-4 in the preliminary international round of the Little League World Series.

In the top of the sixth and last inning with the score 3-3, Gonzalez walked and went to third on David Rivera's double when Saunders - who moved to third after starting the game as pitcher - threw wide right and high of first baseman Ryan Carter on a grounder.

"Mike doesn't usually play a lot of third base, and typically with two outs like that we would go straight to first. But he looked to second and C.J. [Morrison] wasn't there, and that might have shook him up," coach Andy Orr said. "The kids were all talking later, and we know that we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Mike. He's been our best pitcher."

Two batters after the error, DeJesus doubled with the bases loaded. He hit a three-run home run in the third.

Reliever Jose Casanova got Jonny Lee to ground weakly to first with runners at first and third to end the game in the bottom of the sixth.

"I felt it was my responsibility, with two men on, to get those runs in," DeJesus said through an interpreter, Micah Hughes.

He said his home run to the steep hillside in dead center - somewhere from 270 to 300 feet from home plate - was his longest ever.

"He always has a free rein at the plate. He is allowed to swing away," Yabucoa manager Edwin Carrasquillo said.

Saunders, who pitched an inning Sunday in a loss to Osaka, Japan, was replaced by Jay King as pitcher after 4 2-3 innings.

"He was holding his arm a lot, and he said he was feeling a twinge. When he became sore, he got two more outs and then we took him out," Orr said.

Joel Craig hit a three-run home run for Canada in the second.

The two teams from the four-team international division with the best records advance to Thursday night's international championship. The winner of that game plays the U.S. champion on Saturday in the title game in the series for 11- and 12-year-olds.

 

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