On Saturday night, the Cuban U18 national team will compete in the semifinal match of the Pan American tournament against Panama at 8:00 p.m. (Cuban and Eastern United States time) at the Rod Carew National Stadium in Panama City.
Nevertheless, Panama's win against Nicaragua in the quarterfinals of the tournament less than a day earlier secured the qualification of the United States, Puerto Rico, and Cuba for the 2025 World Cup, as Panama, being the tournament host, automatically qualifies.
Dereck Gomez, a right-handed pitcher, played a key role in Panama's 4-0 win against Nicaragua, recording ten strikeouts in a complete game.
Puerto Rico secured a 4-2 victory over Canada at the Juan Demóstenes Arosemena stadium with the help of starting pitcher Angel Cruz, who pitched seven innings, gave up six hits, one earned run, and struck out six batters.
On Friday, Cuba achieved a similar feat thanks to the exceptional performance of right-hander Ediel Ponce, who kept Venezuela hitless for 6 1/3 innings before leading the Antilleans to a 6-1 victory by completing the entire game.
The United States, the other team that secured a spot in the World Cup, had to put in a tremendous effort to earn their place in the tournament, narrowly defeating Mexico 1-0. The American team was led by pitcher Aidan Stillman, who delivered an outstanding performance by pitching six scoreless innings, conceding only one hit, and striking out four batters.
The semifinals are scheduled to take place this Saturday at Rod Carew Stadium. The United States will compete against Puerto Rico at 10:30 a.m. (Cuba and Eastern US time), followed by Panama playing as the visiting team against Cuba at 7 p.m. (local time, 8:00 p.m. in Cuba) in a bid to secure a spot in the final. Left-hander Cristian Rojas, who defeated the Dominican Republic in the qualifying stage, has been confirmed to start for Cuba.
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