Puerto Rico Baseball National Team claims Gold in Lima; women’s softball underway

Puerto Rico Baseball National Team claims Gold in Lima; women’s softball underway
05/08/2019

Puerto Rico claimed its first-ever Gold Medal at the baseball competition of the Pan American Games, beating Canada 6-1 on Sunday, before a sell-out crowd at Villa Maria del Triunfo. The Puerto Rican squad finished Lima 2019 unbeaten. Nicaragua earned the Bronze Medal.

Puerto Rico claimed its first-ever Gold Medal at the baseball competition of the Pan American Games, beating Canada 6-1 on Sunday, before a sell-out crowd at Villa Maria del Triunfo. The Puerto Rican squad finished Lima 2019 unbeaten. Nicaragua earned the Bronze Medal.

Puerto Rico Jumped ahead in the scoreboard in the fourth inning, with an RBI-double by Wilfredo Rodriguez and an RBI single off the bat of Jorge Padilla.

Puerto Rican starter Giovanni Soto pitched five scoreless innings, but then in the sixth allowed an RBI single by Tristan Pompei, and exited the game after 5.1 innings, with 5 hits, 1 run and 4 strikeouts. Puerto Rico’s Manager Juan Gonzalez used five relievers to hold the lead, and the bullpen answered allowing only 2 hits in 3.2 innings, with no walks.

In the bottom of the sixth Puerto Rico added two runs, with a solo homer by Brahiam Maldonado and an RBI single by Luis Mateo. And one inning later a 2-RBI single off the bat of Edwin Gomez plated the last two runs of the game and the competition.

In the Bronze Medal game, Nicaragua beat Colombia, 6-0. Jorge Bucardo (6 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 4 SO) combined with Wilton Sevilla and Wilber Bucardo to complete the shutout.

Luis Alen put Nicaragua in front with a solo home run the second inning and the team never looked back.

This is the fourth medal for Nicaragua in the Pan American Games baseball competition.

Women’s softball opens in Lima

With four of the top five teams in the WBSC World Rankings, on Sunday opened the Pan American Games women’s softball competition in Lima 2019. Canada, USA and Venezuela earned a win in day 1.

Canada defeated Puerto Rico, 3-1, in a very good softball game. Quiana Diaz hit a leadoff homer for Puerto Rico, but in the bottom of the first Emma Entzminger hit a 2-run bomb to take the lead. The other run was produced by Holly Spears with an RBI single. In the third frame. Danielle Lawrie pitched a 2-hit complete game for Canada, with 12 strikeouts.

In the second game of the day, USA used a 12-hits offensive to beat Mexico, 9-0, in six innings. Ali Aguilar and Aubrey Munro homered for the winner, while Monica Abbott fanned 13 in six innings of play, with only 2 hits.

In the final game of the day, Venezuela earned the first win of the Games against Peru, by a score of 5-3. The host team took the lead twice in the game, with Venezuela coming from behind to win the match. With the game tied at 3, a pair of solo homers by Jocelin Diaz and Denisse Fuenmayor gave Venezuela the victory. Michelle Floyd tossed five hitless innings in relief to claim the win, with 6 strikeouts.