Pan American Baseball Tournament Semifinals Set: World Cup Qualification on the Line
The stage is set for thrilling semifinal matchups at the Pan American baseball Tournament today, as undefeated Mexico takes on Puerto Rico and Cuba faces host nation Panama. These games aren’t just for continental glory; they offer a direct pathway to the World Cup, with three qualifying spots up for grabs.
Preliminary Round Recap
Mexico dominated Group A in the preliminary phase,achieving a perfect 4-0 record. Panama closely followed, securing second place with a 3-1 record.
Panama earned their semifinal berth with a decisive 13-2 knockout victory over Guatemala on Thursday.Mexico continued their winning streak, defeating Honduras 6-0 to complete an unblemished run through the elimination phase.
Cuba and puerto Rico Advance
Despite a surprising 0-1 loss to Bahamas in their final preliminary round game, Cuba topped the other group with three consecutive wins.
puerto Rico also finished with a 3-1 record, but Cuba secured the higher seed due to their head-to-head victory over the Puerto Rican team.
World Cup implications
The winners of Friday’s semifinal games will automatically qualify for the World cup,which will be held next year in Nicaragua. Though, the competition doesn’t end for the losing teams. Both semifinal losers will have a final prospect to secure a World Cup berth in saturday’s bronze medal game.
