2023 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American Qualifier

The 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games Central American Qualifier was held in February 2023 to determine the last entrant in the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games (which would be the winner, unless El Salvador wins as they had already qualified - in that case, it would go to the second-place finisher). It was held in Estadio Nacional Soberanía in Managua, Nicaragua.

Games

February 6

•  Costa Rica 3,  El Salvador 1. Pablo Barquero and Christian López team up on a two-hitter, SS Manrique Mora scores a pair and C Manuel Ascanio raps two hits. Nelson Alfaro takes the loss, while SS Mario Andres Velasco has both of El Salvador's hits as well as their lone run.
•  Nicaragua 7,  Honduras 0. As expected, the hosts cruise to victory as Ronald Medrano, Duque Hebbert and Goffrey Bennett combine on a one-hitter while 1B Elian Miranda has two runs, two RBI and a homer. CF Juan Montes draws four walks. David Garcia is the losing hurler, while 3B Lombardo Padilla has the lone Honduran hit.

February 7

•  Honduras 10,  Guatemala 2. Honduras has a nice rebound after a rough opener, while Guatemala debuts with a tough loss. SS Maycol Cockborn scores three and 3B Lombardo Padilla hits a grand slam while Darlyn Rodriguez gets the win over Diego Amado. For Guatemala, 3B Sean Marte had two hits and C Fabián Vizcaíno had three walks.
•  Nicaragua 13,  Costa Rica 0. In a 7-inning mercy rule rout, Leo Crawford, Junior Téllez and Joaquin Acuna combine on a three-hitter while LF Isaac Benard drives in three and nine players score for the hosts (the only team not to have lost so far). Pablo Ramírez gets the decision for Costa Rica, while SS Manrique Mora reaches twice to lead the offense.

February 8

•  Honduras 6,  Costa Rica 1. Juan Giron allows four hits and one unearned run in eight innings, then Denis Diaz closes it out. 3B Lombardo Padilla has four hits and Jose Bernardez hit a homer. CF Thomas Buckman scores the Costa Rican run, while Donovan Holmes takes the loss.
•  Guatemala 3,  El Salvador 2. These two teams had met in the Bronze Medal Game of the 2017 Central American Games, a contest that ended early due to a rain-out with both teams getting medals. This time, they got to go the distance. Alejandro Amézquita got the start for Guatemala, as he had in the 2017 game, and went eight innings, allowing two unearned runs before Carlos Martínez closed it out. 1B Marco Lemus drives in a pair. CF/1B Jason Flores and 3B Melvin Deras each have two hits for El Salvador, while Jhonny Bautista takes the loss in relief of Héctor Martínez.

February 9

•  Costa Rica 5,  Guatemala 3. Costa Rica's Miguel Montano and Guatemala's Oscar Garcia trade goose eggs through seven before Montano allows a run in the top of the 8th; he leaves having allowed only two hits. Costa Rica scores five times in the bottom of the inning, though, to win it. PH Francis Soto has the unusual two-run sacrifice fly to end the rally.
•  Nicaragua 8,  El Salvador 0. Nicaragua keeps up its shutout run as Kevin Gadea, Carlos Téller, Osman Gutiérrez, Roniel Raudes and Joaquin Acuna combine on a three-hitter to beat David Jimenez. 3B Melvin Deras has two of El Salvador's three hits. CF/LF Isaac Benard reaches in four of five plate appearances, scores two and drives in three from the leadoff spot.

February 10

•  Honduras 8,  El Salvador 4. CF Kevin Reyes goes 3 for 3 with a walk, two runs and two RBI while Eduardo Diaz gets the win over Masayuki Maruhashi. 3B Melvin Deras drives in two in a losing cause as El Salvador goes winless in the round-robin.
•  Nicaragua 21,  Guatemala 0. The hosts finish the round-robin 4-0 with a 49-0 run differential. 1B Elian Miranda drives in four while SS/3B Benjamín Alegría has 3 hits, 3 runs and 3 RBI; both go deep. Fidencio Flores, Junior Téllez and Duque Hebbert combine on a four-hitter in the seven-inning mercy rule win. Carlos Polanco, the first of seven Guatemalan pitchers, takes the loss. 3B/SS Fabián Vizcaíno has Guatemala's best hit, a triple.

February 12

• Bronze Medal Game:  Costa Rica 4,  Guatemala 0. Pablo Barquero pitches eight shutout innings, fanning 11 while scattering eight hits and four walks, and Taylor Escoto closes it out. LF Iván Torres doubles and triples to lead a balanced offense. LF Davis Esquivel has three hits for Guatemala, while Alejandro Amézquita is chased in the 4th, having given up seven hits.
• Title Game:  Nicaragua 13,  Honduras 1. Nicaragua allows a run but still cruises into the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games, as expected. Ronald Medrano gets the win with five shutout innings. CF Juan Montes and LF Isaac Benard each score four times while 3B Cheslor Cuthbert drives in four. CF Kevin Reyes reaches three of four times up for Honduras, while Darlyn Rodriguez takes the loss.

Awards

• MVP: Lombardo Padilla,  Honduras

All-Stars

• SP: Ronald Medrano,  Nicaragua
• C: Manuel Ascanio,  Costa Rica
• 1B: Elian Miranda,  Nicaragua
• 2B: Elmer Reyes,  Nicaragua
• SS: Maycol Cockborn,  Honduras
• 3B: Lombardo Padilla,  Honduras
• OF: Kevin Reyes,  Honduras
• OF: Isaac Benard,  Nicaragua
• OF: Sandy Bermúdez,  Nicaragua
• DH: Yader Monge,  Costa Rica

Source: World Baseball and Softball Confederation