Cuba outscore France to earn first win in Women's Baseball World Cup Group B

World No. 7 Cuba defeated No. 16 France in six innings, 11-1, to earn their first win in the IX WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup Group B presented by CARNEXT.

Cuba built a solid lead using the small ball. They scored four of the first six runs on bunts. France stayed in the game until they blew a bases-loaded scoring opportunity in the top of the sixth. Cuba ended the game with a five-run bottom half of the frame.

Cuba scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the first. Eleyenni Estupinan reached on an infield single and stole second. She scored on Glenda Dunet's RBI double.

France loaded the bases in the top of the second with no one out. Amina Taleb grounded into a force out at home. Youna Pean grounded out to shortstop, and Marjorie Brule scored the tying run on the play.

Cuba got to French starter Cassandra Vigneau in the bottom half of the frame. Yordanka Rodriguez and Dayanni Velasquez led off with back-to-back singles. With runners at the corners, Cuba used the safety squeeze to score. Dayana Ramirez and Estupinan executed two sacrifice bunts and gave Cuba a 3-1 lead.

Jessica Herrera and Rodriguez led off the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back singles. Cuba manufactured another run with two sacrifice bunts by Dayanni Velasquez and Dayana Ramirez.

Dayanna Batista walked to lead off the bottom of the fifth. She reached third on a fielding error, and Cuba used the bunt again well. Libia Duarte sacrificed to add one run. Yordanka Rodriguez added a sixth run with an RBI single. That was it for Vigneau, as France handed the ball to Leonie Pauthe.

Cuban starter Yoannet Dominguez allowed one-out back-to-back walks in the top of the sixth. Amina Taleb singled up the middle to load the bases. Cuba got out of the jam, picking off the runners at second and third on the same play.

The Cuban offence closed the game by the run-difference rule in the bottom half of the frame. Dayana Ramirez led off with a single and scored on Estupinan's double. After Estupinan reached third on a wild pitch, Dayanna Batista bunted her home. Two more runs scored on errors, and Yordanka Rodriguez added an RBI triple to the hole in right centre to end the game.

Cuba (1-2) will play their fourth game against No. 5 Venezuela to close the day on Saturday, 16 September. France (0-3) will open the day against No. 9 Puerto Rico.