Thanks to a dominant performance by two-way player Aleshia Ocasio from the circle, world No. 4 Puerto Rico claimed the gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games, after a 2-0 win over No. 28 Cuba in the final. Ocasio tossed a complete-game shutout.
The final proved to be a pitching duel between Ocasio and Cuban left hander Yilian Tornes with the Puerto Rican finally prevailing to maintain her side's unbeaten record for the tournament.
Tornes tossed six innings of two-hit ball, giving up two earned runs in the fourth inning. She was outduelled by the Puerto Rican right hander, who pitched seven scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts, allowing only a pair of hits.
The two Puerto Rican runs were scored in the fourth frame, with RBIs by Carsyn Gordon and Odalys Cordova. This is the second consecutive gold medal for Puerto Rico in the regional multi sports event.
Both teams will now travel to Valencia, Spain, to compete at the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Group B, from 18 to 22 July. They will compete against world No. 10 the Netherlands, No. 11 China, No. 12 Spain and No. 38 South Africa. The top two nations from this group will advance to the World Cup Finals, scheduled for 15 to 21 July, 2024 in Italy.
For the bronze medal, world No. 6 Mexico beat No. 22 Venezuela, 3-0. The Vino Tinto team will head to Italy to play WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Group C in Buttrio and Castions di Strada, Italy. They will play No. 2 Japan, No. 5 Canada, No. 8 Italy, No. 26 Philippines and No. 29 New Zealand.
Final Standings
- Puerto Rico
- Cuba
- Mexico
- Venezuela
- Dominican Republic
- Curacao
- Centro Caribe Sports
- El Salvador
