U.S. Gets Only Four Hits, Loses to Cuba

Lazaro Vargas’ fifth-inning double broke a 2-2 tie, and Jorge Valdes and Rene Arocha combined on a four-hitter Sunday as Cuba beat the United States’ Olympic team, 4-2, in Game 2 of a seven-game series.

Arocha allowed two hits in four innings, including Mickey Morandini’s homer in the second inning. Tino Martinez, who homered twice in Saturday night’s 13-8 U.S. victory, hit another in the fourth. Valdes allowed two hits in the final five innings.

Ben McDonald gave up 10 hits in 6 innings and all 4 Cuban runs. Joe Slusarski allowed one hit in the final three innings.

Cuba, winner of 19 world championships, meets the United States again Tuesday in Indianapolis, and the series continues with games in Tidewater, Va., Richmond, Va., and Charlotte, N.C.

Morandini’s home run gave the United States the lead but Cuba tied the score in the bottom of the inning on Pedro Rodriguez’s RBI triple.

Cuba took a 2-1 lead in the third when Luis Ulacia singled, went to third on Antonio Pacheco’s hit-and-run single and scored when third baseman Robin Ventura failed to catch center fielder Tom Goodwin’s throw for an error.

Martinez tied it 2-2 in the fourth before Vargas’s fifth-inning double scored Pacheco from first to give Cuba the lead. Ulacia added an RBI double in the seventh.