Selection Selection Cuban baseball defeated the baseball team 7-4 Colombia and remains in the fight to advance to the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic 2026.
With this result, Cuba adds its second victory of the tournament, while Colombia suffered its third defeat in three games, being officially eliminated from the group stage.
Cuba hits first with two home runs in the first inning
The Cuban team quickly took advantage in the first inning with a powerful three-run home run by Ariel Martínez to right field, which also allowed Roel Santos and Yoán Moncada to score.
Minutes later, Erisbel Arruebarrena extended the lead with another home run, this time to left field, in an explosive first inning that set the course of the game.
The Cuban offense took advantage of that start to control the score for the rest of the game and secure a key victory in the fight to advance to the round.
Colombia is eliminated from the tournament
For Colombia, the match was practically a final. The coffee team had started the tournament with losses against Puerto Rico and Canada, so they needed to win to keep their aspirations alive.
However, the defeat against Cuba left the ninth South American team without mathematical options to qualify for the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Upcoming matches in the group
After this result, Colombia will play its last match of the tournament on Monday, March 9 against Panama, in a duel scheduled for 12:00 pm ET (11:00 am in Colombia).
For its part, Cuba will face a key challenge that same day when it faces the Puerto Rico baseball team at 7:00 pm ET, in a match that could define its classification to the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
