Nicaragua qualified for the 2026 World Baseball Classic on Sunday night at the Taipei Dome with their 6-0 shutout win over Chinese Taipei.
Going into the 2025 WBCQ, the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) had Chinese Taipei ranked at No. 2 and Nicaragua ranked at No. 16 in the World Rankings.
Manager Sandor Guido’s pitching staff, led by starter Dilmer Mejía and relievers Osman Gutiérrez, Leo Crawford, Jesús Garrido, Carlos Teller, and Bryan Torres, combined for nine scoreless innings, allowing six hits and five walks, while striking out five.
Mejía earned the win, throwing 3.1 innings while allowing four hits, two walks, and striking out two on 60 pitches, 36 for strikes.
Chinese Taipei committed two errors during their Sunday loss.
Chinese Taipei, managed by Hao-Jiu Tseng, will face No. 24 Spain in the final qualifier on February 25 at 6 a.m. EST at the Taipei Dome, with a WBC berth on the line.
Nicaragua wasted no time getting on the board as J.D. Montes reached base to lead off the game on a fielding error by Chinese Taipei shortstop Yu Chang.
Moments later, second baseman Brandon Leyton ripped an RBI double to center field, driving in Montes to give Nicaragua an early 1-0 lead.
Brandon Leyton gets things started for Team Nicaragua!#WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/AXGHEwKCU1
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) February 23, 2025
The next batter, center fielder Chase Dawson, lined an RBI single to left, scoring Leyton to extend Nicaragua’s lead to 2-0.
In the top of the sixth inning, Freddy Zamora lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, allowing Benjamin Alegria to score and make it 3-0.
Nicaragua did not add its final two runs until the top of the ninth, when Dawson stayed hot at the plate with a two-run line-drive double to right field, driving in Cristhian Sandoval and Montes to push the lead to 5-0.
Chase Dawson adds two more runs on for Team Nicaragua! #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/0sdtlHvLqm
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) February 23, 2025
Shortly after, Elian Miranda ripped an RBI single to right field, scoring Dawson and capping off Nicaragua’s 6-0 rout of the Chinese Taipei pitching staff.
Torres entered the game with one out in the bottom of the ninth and got Chia-Wei Lin to fly out to Montes in left field for the final out, helping Nicaragua qualify for the 2026 World Baseball Classic and blank Chinese Taipei 6-0.
Celebration time ????
Team Nicaragua is heading to the 2026 #WorldBaseballClassic! pic.twitter.com/1ivCC2ufqM
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) February 23, 2025
Hao-Jiu Tseng’s pitching staff combined for nine innings, allowing 12 hits, five earned runs, two walks, and recording nine strikeouts.
Chinese Taipei starter Shiang-Sheng Hsu struggled on Sunday, lasting just two innings while allowing four hits, one earned run, and striking out one.
During Sunday night’s loss, Chinese Taipei went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base.
Nicaragua’s dominant pitching staff excelled at the Taipei Dome throughout the WBCQ, combining for 29 innings while allowing just two earned runs on 16 hits, issuing 17 walks, and striking out 27 batters.
Nicaragua made its first World Baseball Classic appearance in 2023, going 0-4 in Pool D at loanDepot Park in Miami with losses to Venezuela, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Israel (1-3).
The country secured its first WBC berth on October 5, 2022, with a victory over Brazil at Estadio Rod Carew in Panama City, Panama.
Nicaragua failed to qualify for the 2017 WBC, finishing 2-2 in Qualifier 2. The team defeated Germany twice but suffered two blowout losses to Mexico, including a 12-1 defeat in the final qualifier at El Nido de los Águilas in Mexicali, Baja California, on March 20, 2016.
In the first qualifying event for the 2013 WBC, Nicaragua went 0-2 in Qualifier 3 at Estadio Rod Carew, falling 8-1 to Colombia on November 16, 2012, and 6-2 to Panama on November 17, 2012.