Under the warm skies of Hiram Bithorn Stadium, Germán Mesa's squad relied on a sturdy pitching structure and an offense that delivered the key flashes needed to tip the balance in a contest that demanded patience, character, and composure.

The Colombians took advantage of the early wildness of starter Denny Larrondo — who issued three walks in the opening frame — to score first, but the lead proved short-lived.

Back-to-back home runs by Ariel Martínez, with two men on base, and Erisbel Arruebarrena combined to plate four runs, knock losing pitcher Luis Patiño off the mound, and hand Cuba the decisive lead in the contest.

Larrondo departed without allowing a hit in two innings; Yariel Rodríguez recorded two scoreless frames with three strikeouts. However, Pedro Santos — who issued three walks and surrendered a single — was removed in the sixth inning with a runner on first base, who later scored on a sacrifice fly by Tito Polo. Darién Núñez managed to close out the inning before a misplay by the center fielder allowed Cuba to score three more in the sixth, two of them driven in by a Yiddi Cappé triple off Ezequiel Zabaleta, the third reliever deployed by José Mosquera's squad.

Enmanuel Chapman could not hold on the mound, and Colombia, with two walks, two hits, and a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded, manufactured two runs in the seventh. Luis Romero extinguished the threat, with Yoan López and Raidel Martínez finishing off the relief work. The latter surrendered the Cuban pitching staff's tenth walk of the day but retired two batters via strikeout to close things out.

With this victory, Cuba confirms it has arrived in San Juan with the resolve to advance without hesitation — playing with the quiet confidence of teams that carry generations of baseball experience on their shoulders and know how to walk the high wire of major international competition.

In Group A, Puerto Rico and Cuba now lead the standings at 2-0, while Canada stands at 1-0, Panama at 0-2, and Colombia has been eliminated at 0-3, as the tournament begins to tighten its grip on the remaining contenders.