Milfree Figueroa Homers Twice as Dominican Republic Routs Cuba 14-4

The Dominican Republic opened its WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup campaign with a 14-4, six-inning win over two-time champion Cuba on Friday, September 25, in Mexico. Milfree Figueroa led a 14-hit attack by going 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs, giving the Dominicans an immediate statement victory in the Opening Round.

• Final: Dominican Republic 14, Cuba 4 (six innings)
• Standout: Milfree Figueroa went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs
• Team total: 14 hits for the Dominican Republic
• Pitching: Dominican relievers combined for 3.2 scoreless innings

Figueroa powers a fast Dominican start

The Dominican Republic scored three runs in each of the first two innings and never allowed Cuba to settle into the game. Figueroa supplied the biggest swings, but the production ran throughout the lineup.

Ransiel Herrera finished 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Ángel Peralta went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs and an RBI. Carlos Marrero and Axel Heredia also collected two hits apiece as the Dominican lineup kept adding pressure.

The 14-run showing was especially notable against a Cuban program that has won the U-15 world title twice. By ending the game in six innings, the Dominican Republic secured an emphatic first result in a short Opening Round where every win can shape the path to the Super Round.

Relief pitching shuts Cuba down

Carlos Marrero earned the win with two scoreless relief innings and three strikeouts. Alan Félix followed with 1.2 hitless innings and struck out three, closing the door after Cuba had scored four runs earlier in the game.

Cuba managed only two hits, both from Broan Gonzalez. He drove in three of his team’s four runs, but the Cuban offense could not keep pace with the Dominican Republic’s repeated scoring rallies.

The performance gave the Dominican Republic both an Opening Round victory and an early run-differential boost in a tournament featuring 12 national teams. More importantly, it showed that the Dominican lineup can change a game quickly: seven players contributed to the 14-hit total, with power and contact arriving from several spots in the order.

For Figueroa, the two-homer game was the defining individual performance of the opening day. For the Dominican Republic, beating Cuba by 10 runs was a forceful start against one of the competition’s established powers.