Kane County Cougars 16, Santa Maria Pirates 14 – A pitcher’s duel, this was not. The Kane County Cougars came back from an 11-5 deficit after five innings, scoring five runs in the top of the ninth to take the 2025 Baseball Champions League Americas opener 16-14 from Curacao’s Santa Maria Pirates.
Armond Upshaw’s single in the top of the ninth advanced Nick Dalesandro to third, and Dalesandro scored the winning run on a throwing error by Santa Maria third baseman Juremi Profar.
Dayson Croes went 6-for-6 and had four RBIs for Kane County, including a two-run homer in the top of the third, and second baseman Josh Allen contributed a two-run homer of his own in the top of the fourth.
Jiandido Tromp, Andrelton Simmons, and Juremi Profar each homered for Santa Maria, and Profar went 3-for-6 with six RBIs in the opener.
Santa Maria will face Cuba’s Lenadores de Las Tunas today at 2 p.m. EDT at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu. The Kane County Cougars are off Wednesday and will face Las Tunas Thursday at 2 p.m. EDT.
Diablos Rojos del Mexico 15, Titanes de Florida 2 – Eight of nine starters for the Diablos Rojos got at least one hit, and Luis Liberato and Francisco Mejia each scored four runs as the host team romped over Puerto Rico’s Titanes de Florida in the nightcap.
Liberato, Moises Gutierrez, and Juan Carlos Gamboa each homered for the Diablos, who racked up nine extra-base hits and 19 hits in the game.
Five Diablos pitchers combined to allow two runs on seven hits and two walks in the win.
The Titanes de Florida face Nicaragua’s Tigres de Chinandega in the Wednesday nightcap at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu, which will begin at 9:30 p.m. EDT.
What The Results Mean – Neither the Titanes de Florida nor the Santa Maria Pirates can win their group outright after losing their opening games, but could potentially finish second in their respective groups with a win in their second group play matchup. A loss in the second game of group play for either team would guarantee a third-place finish in their respective group.
A win in their second group play games would advance the Diablos Rojos and Kane County Cougars to Saturday’s semifinals, while they could still finish atop the group with a loss in their second games. To finish first in the group with a 1-1 record, each team would have to win a tiebreaker, decided by which team won the head-to-head matchup.
Today’s Schedule
4:30 p.m. EDT – Santa Maria Pirates (Curacao) vs. Lenadores de Las Tunas (Cuba)
9:30 p.m. EDT – Titanes de Florida (Puerto Rico) vs. Tigres de Chinandega (Nicaragua)
Tomorrow’s Schedule
4:30 p.m. EDT – Santa Maria Pirates (Curacao) vs. Lenadores de Las Tunas (Cuba)
9:30 p.m. EDT – Titanes de Florida (Puerto Rico) vs. Tigres de Chinandega (Nicaragua)
Broadcast Info – The 2025 Baseball Champions League Americas will be broadcast on Fubo Sports Network, RYZ Network, and streamed live on AAbaseball.tv.
Photo: The Diablos Rojos del Mexico routed the Titanes de Florida 15-2 in their opener at the 2025 Baseball Champions League Americas. (Photo courtesy of the Diablos Rojos del Mexico)
