The Cuban men’s softball team fell this Tuesday 1-0 to the reigning world champions, Venezuela, at the start of the Super Round of the Pan American Championships being held in the Colombian city of Montería.

In a match delayed by the impact of rain at the Jose Gabriel Amin Manzur stadium, the South Americans maintained their unbeaten record in the tournament supported by the work of their pitcher Luis Colombo, who went the whole distance at a pace of two hits and eight strikeouts to shut out their rivals.

Those led by Delio López scored the only run of the challenge in the very first inning due to a bases-loaded walk conceded by the losing pitcher Alain Román.

The right-handed hurler, who barely accepted three hits, also remained in the pitching circle throughout and fanned six opponents to reach 34, leader of the event.

The Cubans now have a balance of one win and two losses in this phase, with results carried over from the teams classified from the first stage.

In this instance, Venezuela is at the top, undefeated with 3-0, followed by Argentina (2-0), Canada, Dominican Republic, Mexico and the United States (1-1), Cuba (1-2) and Colombia and Panama (0-2).

In addition to medals, six tickets for the Lima 2027 Pan American Games and five for the first phase of the World Cup are at stake in this tournament.