Havana, September 26 (RHC) – With grit and patience, the Cuban women’s baseball team defeated Nicaragua 9-8 today in the Pan American tournament and secured one of three spots in the upcoming World Cup.
The game, played at the Forum La Guaira Stadium in Macuto, had the feel of a movie. The Cubans, led by Jorge Luis Pimienta, tied the score in the sixth inning thanks to a timely hit by Jessica Herrera that drove in two runs, just when everything seemed to be going in favor of the Nicaraguans.
In the seventh, Nicaragua regained the lead with two runs, but their pitching collapsed in the final inning: five walks, one intentional, allowed the Caribbean team to tie the score.
The Central Americans added one more in the extra inning, only to see Darianna González hit a walk-off double that drove in the final two runs and sparked a Cuban celebration.
Adriana Carrazana earned the win after 5.1 innings of relief, while Nicol Montenegro took the loss.
With this result, Cuba takes the bronze medal and joins Mexico and Venezuela—undefeated finalists—as the qualifiers for the World Cup.
