On Sunday, June 1, El Salvador claimed the Copa Centenario championship with a 14-1 victory over Guatemala in the championship bout.
The tournament was held in Costa Rica over a five-day period starting May 28 and featured Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador.
In the tournament final on Sunday at Antonio Escarré Stadium in San José, El Salvador was led by starting pitcher Nelson Affaro on the mound. Affaro pitched all seven innings of the game while only allowing one run and his performance gave the Salvadorian offense the ability to have a very productive Sunday. The Guatemalan lineup threatened to score in both of the last two innings, but Affaro held strong and El Salvador closed out a secure victory against Guatemala.
Nicaragua was the favorite to win the friendly tournament, but El Salvador upset them on the way to their eventual victory. In the round robin style tournament where each country played the others once each, El Salvador was undefeated. They defeated Nicaragua in their lone matchup on Friday, May 30 by a score of 6-1. They also defeated Costa Rica 6-2 and Guatemala 3-2 on their way to a clean sweep of the tournament.
The tournament, while not directly WBSC-affiliated, had significant implications on the World Baseball rankings. El Salvador and manager William Ponce will look to carry this momentum into the Central American Games that will be held this October in Guatemala.
WBSC Rankings Going Into the Tournament
Nicaragua – No. 16 globally, No. 9 in WBSC Americas
Costa Rica – No. 53 globally, No. 19 in WBSC Americas
Guatemala – No. 51 globally, No. 18 in WBSC Americas
El Salvador – No. 65 globally, No. 23 in WBSC Américas
El Salvador Official Roster
Position Players – Wilfredo Jimenez, Hector Martinez, Melvin Deras, Marcelo Manrique, Ronald Lopez, Jose Marquez, Edwin Argueta, Carlos Cortez, Nain Rosales, F. Castillo, M. Diaz, J. Lopez
Pitchers – Martinez, Neftali Velasco, M. Panameno, J. Roca, J. Artiga, W. Louico
