Puerto Rico’s under-18 national baseball team beat Venezuela 3-1 on Sunday in the opener of the super round of the Pan American Championship, played at the IPL Academy sports complex in the Dominican Republic. The win improved Puerto Rico’s record to 2-0 in the super round, counting the victory carried over from the first round against Panama, as the team seeks one of four berths in the 2027 WBSC Under-18 Baseball World Cup.
The game was scoreless through five innings. Jean Rosa broke the tie with a single in the sixth, but Venezuela answered with Enexis Antúnez’s game-tying RBI hit. Fabián Rodríguez put Puerto Rico back ahead with a seventh-inning single and scored on a balk for the final 3-1.
Gean Figueroa pitched five scoreless innings with five strikeouts and two hits allowed; Sebastián Quiles earned the win in relief. Venezuela’s Jean Arrieche took the loss, allowing the two decisive runs. Manager Eddie González praised his players’ effort but acknowledged the offense remains the team’s weakest point, and noted several players are ill.
Puerto Rico faces host Dominican Republic on Monday at 2:00 PM; a win would clinch a World Cup spot.