EDMONTON, Alberta -- Cuba began defense of its World Baseball Championship by slaughtering Italy 18-1 in seven innings. The game was stopped by the international baseball 10-run rule.
Cuba's German Mesa led off the game with a single past the head of Italian pitcher Maurizio di Sanctis. Antonio Pacheco and Omar Linares followed with hits before Orestes Kindelan homered far over the left-field wall at John Ducey Park.
After a walk and a double, Victor Mesa knocked di Sanctis out of the game with a home run to left-center.
Pacheco led off the Cuban second with a homer to left. Linares and Kindelan singled, Lourdes Gurriel doubled one runner home, and Javier Mendez singled in two more for an 11-1 lead.
After the Cubans added four in the third, Italian left hander Claudio Taglienti shut them down in the fourth and fifth, but Kindelan reached him in the sixth with a two-run blast far over the 405-foot sign in left-center.
In other games Saturday, Nicaragua defeated Mexico 10-1, Japan downed South Korea 4-3 and Puerto Rico beat Holland 4-0.
Canada and Venezuela played Saturday night. The United States begins play Sunday against Chinese Taipei.
