Cuba Defeats Mexico in Women’s Baseball Pan American Championship

The Cuban women’s baseball team defeated Mexico 6–2 today in the closing game of the qualifying stage of the Pan American Championship, held in the Venezuelan city of La Guaira.

With this victory, the Cuban side finished second in the preliminary round with a record of three wins and one loss, ahead of Mexico, which placed third with a 2–2 balance.

Both teams will meet again tomorrow in the semifinals, competing for a spot in the tournament’s grand final, which awards three berths to the opening stage of the Women’s Baseball World Cup.

Cuba opened the scoring in the third inning thanks to a defensive error by Mexico, and extended the lead in the fourth, when Leidiana Pérez hit a triple and was driven home by a ground ball from Eleyenni Estupiñán.

In the seventh frame, the Cubans combined two walks and two hit-by-pitches with a triple by Darianna González to produce a four-run rally that sealed the contest.

From the pitcher’s mound, Maiquelis Chacón earned the win by working all seven innings, allowing just two runs “when it was time to put the bats away.”

The loss went to starter Alin Andrea Villaverde, who gave up the opening run before leaving the game in the third inning.

In the other semifinal, host nation Venezuela—undefeated in four outings—will face Nicaragua, which earned its first victory today by “knocking out Argentina.”